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BUFFALO 

Historical  Society 
publications 


VOLUME  TWENTY-SEVEN 

Edited  by  Frank  H.  Severance 


SENECA  MYTHS 
AND  FOLK  TALES 


BY 

ARTHUR  C.  PARKER,  M.S. 

Archaeologist,  New  York  State  Museum 
Life  Member,  The  Buffalo  Historical  Society 


BUFFALO,  NEW  YORK : 
Published  by  the 

BUFFALO  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY 
1923 


THE  TRIBUNE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
PRINTERS  AND  BINDERS 
MEADVILLE,  PA. 


TO 

FRANK  H.  SEVERANCE,  L.H.D.,  LL.D. 

Secretary,  The  Buffalo  Historical  Society 
President,  The  Neu-  York  State  Historical  Association 

WHOSE  NUMEROUS  ESSAYS  AND  HISTORI- 
CAL WRITINGS  HAVE  BEEN  A  SOURCE  OF 
INSPIRATION  AND  ENLIGHTENMENT,  AND 
WHOSE  INTEREST  IN  THE  SENECA  INDIANS 
AND  THEIR  HISTORY  HAS  NEVER  WANED, 
THIS  VOLUME  OH 

SENECA  FOLK  TALES 

IS  DEDICATED  IN  TESTIMONY  OF  THE 
AUTHOR'S  SINCERE  ADMIRATION  AND 
ESTEEM. 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  FOLK  TALES 


FOREWORD 

The  author  of  this  collection  of  Seneca  folk-tales  can- 
not remember  when  he  first  began  to  hear  the  wonder 
stories  of  the  ancient  days.  His  earliest  recollections  are 
of  hearing  the  wise  old  men  relate  these  tales  of  the  myster- 
ious past.  They  were  called  Ka'kaa,  or  Ga'kaa,  and  when 
this  word  was  uttered,  as  a  signal  that  the  marvels  of  old 
were  about  to  be  unfolded,  all  the  children  grew  silent, — 
and  listened.  In  those  days,  back  on  the  Cattaraugus  reser- 
vation, it  was  a  part  of  a  child's  initial  training  to  learn  why 
the  bear  lost  its  tail,  why  the  chipmunk  has  a  striped  back 
and  why  meteors  flash  in  the  sky. 

Many  years  later, — it  was  in  1903, — the  writer  of  this 
manuscript  returned  to  the  Cattaraugus  reservation  bring- 
ing with  him  his  friend  Mr.  Raymond  Harrington,  for  the 
purpose  of  making  an  archaeological  survey  of  the  Cattar- 
augus valley  for  the  Peabody  Museum  of  Archaeology,  of 
Harvard  University.  Our  base  camp  was  on  the  old  Sil- 
verheels  farm,  which  occupies  the  site  of  one  of  the  early 
Seneca  villages  of  the  period  after  the  Erie  war  of  1654. 
Here  also  is  the  site  of  the  original  Lower  Cattaraugus  of 
pre-Revolutionary  days. 

To  our  camp  came  many  Indian  friends  who  sought  to  in- 
struct Mr.  Harrington  and  myself  in  the  lore  of  the  ancients. 
We  were  regaled  with  stories  of  the  false-faces,  of  the 
whirl-winds,  of  the  creation  of  man,  of  the  death  panther, 
and  of  the  legends  of  the  great  bear,  but  in  particular  we 
were  blessed  with  an  ample  store  of  tales  of  vampire  skele- 
tons, of  witches  and  of  folk-beasts,  all  of  whom  had  a 

ix 


X 


FOREWORD 


special  appetite  for  young  men  who  dug  in  the  ground  for 
the  buried  relics  of  the  "old-time  folks." 

To  us  came  Tahadondch  (whom  the  Christian  people 
called  George  Jimerson),  Bill  Snyder,  Gahweh  Seneca,  a 
lame  man  from  Tonawanda,  Frank  Pierce  and  several 
others  versed  in  folklore.  I  filled  my  note-books  with 
sketches  and  outlines  of  folk-fiction,  and  after  our  return 
to  New  York,  I  began  to  transcribe  some  of  the  stories. 

The  following  winter  was  spent  on  the  reservation  among 
the  non-Christian  element  in  a  serious  attempt  to  record 
folk  tales,  ceremonial  prayers,  rituals,  songs  and  customs. 
A  large  amount  of  information  and  many  stories  were  col- 
lected. Some  of  this  material  was  published  by  the  State 
Museum,  the  rest  perished  in  the  Capitol  fire  at  Albany, 
in  191  [. 

Later  I  was  able  to  go  over  my  original  notes  with 
Edward  Cornplanter,  the  local  authority  on  Seneca  religion, 
rites  and  folk-ways,  and  to  write  out  the  material  here 
presented.  Cornplanter's  son  Jesse  assisted  by  way  of 
making  drawings  under  his  father's  direction.  I  also  had 
the  help  of  Skidmore  Lay,  Ward  B.  Snow,  Delos  B.  Kittle, 
Mrs.  John  Kittle,  James  Crow  and  others.  My  informants 
from  the  lower  reservation,  the  Christian  district,  were 
Aurelia  Jones  Miller,  Fred  Kennedy,  George  D.  Jimerson, 
Julia  Crouse,  Moses  Shongo,  Mrs.  Moses  Shongo,  David 
George,  William  Parker,  Job  King,  and  Chester  C.  Lay ; 
and  Laura  Doctor  and  Otto  Parker  of  the  Tonawanda 
Reservation. 

In  the  preparation  of  these  versions  of  old  Seneca  tales 
the  writer  used  no  other  texts  for  comparative  purposes. 
It  was  thought  best  to  rest  content  with  the  version  given 


FOREWORD 


xi 


by  the  Indian  informant,  and  to  wait  until  a  time  of  greater 
leisure  came  before  attempting  to  annotate  the  collection. 
Leisure  has  never  seemed  to  be  the  privilege  of  the  writer, 
and  one  busy  year  has  crowded  upon  another,  until  eighteen 
have  passed  since  the  tales  were  written  down.  It  may  be 
best,  after  all,  to  present  the  text  just  as  it  was  prepared, 
and  merely  correct  the  spelling  of  a  name  or  two.  It  was 
not  until  after  this  text  was  in  the  hands  of  the  Buffalo 
Historical  Society  that  the  Curtin-Hewitt  collection  of 
Seneca  folk  tales  appeared,  and  though  differences  will  be 
found  between  our  texts  and  those  of  Curtin,  it  must  be 
remembered  that  variations  are  bound  to  occur.  All  ver- 
sions of  folk  tales  recorded  by  different  individuals  at  differ- 
ent or  even  identical  times  will  vary  in  certain  particulars, 
as  is  explained  hereinafter. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  volume  the  writer  wishes  to 
record  his  indebtedness  to  Mr.  George  Kelley  Staples, 
Senator  Henry  W.  Hill,  Mr.  George  L.  Tucker  and  Dr. 
Frank  H.  Severance,  all  members  of  the  Buffalo  Historical 
Society,  for  the  advice  and  encouragement  given. 

Arthur  C.  Parker. 

Buffalo  Consistory, 

A.  A.  S.  R. 
Nov.  26,  1922. 


CONTENTS 

Page 


Foreword   ix 

Introduction   xvii 

I.  FUNDAMENTAL    FACTORS    IN    SENECA  FOLK 

LORE   1 

Basic  Premises   3 

Gods,  Major  Spirits  and  Folk-Beasts   5 

Nature  Beings   10 

Magic  Beasts  and  Birds   16 

Magical  Man-like  Beings   18 

II.  THEMES  AND  MATERIALS   23 

Stereotyped  Objects  and  Incidents   27 

Components  of  the  Cosmological  Myth   33 

III.  THE  ATMOSPHERE  IN  WHICH  THE  LEGENDS 

"WERE  TOLD   37 

IV.  WHEN  THE  WORLD  WAS  NEW   57 

1.  How  the  World  Began   59 

2.  The  Brothers  who  Climbed  into  the  Sky      ...  74 

3.  The  Death  Panther   78 

4.  The  Great  Bear  Constellation   81 

5.  The  Seven  Brothers  of  the  Star  Cluster    ...  83 

6.  The  Seven  Star  Dancers   86 

7.  The  Coming  of  Spring   88 

8.  The  Coming  of  Death   92 

V.  BOYS  WHO  DEFIED  MAGIC  AND  OVERCAME  IT  .  95 

9.  Origin  of  Folk  Stories   97 

10.  The  Forbidden  Arrow  and  the  Quilt  of  Men's  Eyes  101 

II.  Corn  Grinder,  the  Grandson   108 

12.  He-Goes-to-Listen   116 

13.  Hahtondas,  the  Listener,  Finds  a  Wife    .     .    .  122 

14.  The  Origin  of  the  Chestnut  Tree   128 

15.  Divided  Body  Rescues  a  Girl   133 

16.  The  Origin  of  the  Buffalo  Society   137 

17.  The  Boy  who  could  not  Understand   142 

18.  The  Boy  who  Lived  with  the  Bears   147 

19.  The  Seventh  Son   154 

20.  The  Boy  who  Overcame  all  Magic  by  Laughter    .  159 

xiii 


xiv 


CONTENTS 


Pack 

VI.  TALES  OF  LOVE  AND  MARRIAGE   171 

21.  Two  Feathers  and  Turkey  Brother   173 

22.  Two  Feathers  and  Woodchuck  Leggings  ....  184 

23.  Turkey  Boy  Squeezed  the  Hearts  of  Sorcerers    .  200 

24.  Corn  Rains  into  Empty  Barrels   205 

25.  Twentgowa  and  the  Mischief  Maker    ....  208 

26.  The  Horned  Serpent  Runs  Away  with  a  Girl  .     .  218 

27.  The  Great  Serpent  and  the  Young  Wife    .     .     .  223 

28.  Bushy  Head  the  Bewitched  Warrior    ....  228 

29.  The  Flint  Chip  Thrower   235 

VII.  HORROR  TALES  OF  CANNIBALS  AND  SORCER- 
ERS: 

30.  The  Duel  of  the  Dream  Test   241 

31.  The  Vampire  Sirens   253 

32.  Younger  Brother  Eludes  His  Sistek-in-Law  .     .     .  262 

33.  The  Island  of  the  Cannibal   269 

34.  The  Twelve  Brothers  and  the  Wraith    .     .     .  278 

35.  The  Cannibal  and  His  Nephew   284 

36.  A  Youth's  Double  Abuses  His  Sister   290 

37.  Murdered  Double  Speaks  Through  Fire  ....  293 

38.  The  Vampire  Corpse   298 

VIII.  TALES  OF  TALKING  ANIMALS: 

39.  The  Man  who  Exhaled  Fire   303 

40.  The  Turtle's  Wae  Party   305 

41.  The  Race  of  the  Turtle  and  the  Beaver    .    .     .  309 

42.  The  Wolf  and  the  Raccoon   312 

43.  The  Chipmunk's  Stripes   314 

44.  The  Rabbit  Song   315 

45.  The  Rabbit  Gambler   317 

46.  The  Raccoon  and  the  Crabs   319 

47.  The  Crab's  Eyes   321 

48.  How  the  Squirrel  Gave  a  Blanket,  etc   322 

49.  The  Chickadee's  Song   325 

50.  The  Bird  Woman   326 

51.  The  Partridge's  Song   328 

IX.  TALES   OF   GIANTS,   PYGMIES   AND  MONSTER 
BEARS: 

52.  A  Tale  of  the  Djogeon  or  Pygmies   331 

53.  Beyond-the-Rapids  and  the  Stone  Giant    .     .     .  334 

54.  The  Animated  Finger   337 


contents  xv 

Page 

55.  The  Stone  Giant's  Battle   340 

56.  The  Boy  and  the  False  Face   342 

57.  How  a  Boy  Outwitted  a  Nia"gwahe   344 

58.  Nia"gwahe,  the  Mammoth  Beae   349 

59.  The  Boy  and  the  Nia"gwahe   358 

X.  TRADITIONS: 

Seneca  Belief  in  Witchcraft   365 

60.  Contents  of  a  Charm  Holder's  Bundle  ....  368 

61.  Contents  of  a  Witch  Bundle   369 

62.  Overcoming  a  Witch   370 

63.  The  Scorned  Witch  Woman   372 

64.  Catching  a  Witch  Bundle   376 

65.  Witch  with  a  Dog  Transformation   378 

66.  Witch  Steals  Children's  Hearts   380 

67.  Hotciwaho  (Hammer  in  His  Belt)   382 

68.  How  America  was  Discovered   383 

69.  Origin  of  the  Charm  Holder's  Medicine  Society    .  386 

70.  Origin  of  the  False  Face  Company   394 

71.  Origin  of  the  Long  House   403 

72.  Dead  Timber,  a  Tradition  of  Albany   407 

XI.  APPENDIX: 

A.  Origin  of  the  World   411 

B.  The  Wyandot  Creation  Myth   417 

C.  An  Interview  with  "Esq."  Johnson  by  Mrs.  Asher 

Wright   421 

D.  Emblematic  Trees  in  Iroquoian  Mythology  .     .     .  431 

E.  The  Society  that  Guards  the  Mystic  Potence    .  .445 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

PLATES: 

The  Atmosphere  in  which  Legends  were  Told. — 

From  painting  by  R.  J.  Tucker   Front. 

Edward  Cornplanter — Sosondowa     ....    Op.  p.  4 

Delos  Big  Kittle — Sainowa  "    "  58 

The  Seven  Dancing  Brothers — From  painting 

by  R.  J.  Tucker  "    "  82 

Mrs.  John  Big  Kittle. — Photo  by  E.  C.  Winne- 

gar  "    "  173 

Hadui  Mask  of  the  False  Face  Company    .     .    "  "  241 

Emily  Tallchief. — Photo  by  E.  C.  Winnegar  .      "    "  365 


xvi 


CONTENTS 


Page 


DRAWINGS  BY  JESSE  CORNPLANTER: 

The  Thunder  Serpent   7 

The  Spirit  of  Dionhekon   11 

The  Flying  Head  of  the  Wind   13 

The  Spirit  of  the  Frost   14 

The  Snow  Snake  Game   39 

A  Bark  Communal  House   47 

The  Bear  Dance   151 

The  Horned  Serpent  Op.  p.  218 

Magic  Whistle   255 

Figure  of  Dancing  Warrior   273 

Restoration  of  Red  Hand   38G 

ILLUSTRATING  EMBLEMATIC  TREES: 

Pictograph  of  the  Sky  Dome   432 

A  False  Face  Leader   435 

Symbolism  of  Legging  Strips   437 

Sky  Dome  Symbols   438 

Embroidered  Borders   441 

Embroidered  Pouch  :  Seneca  Work  before  1850  .  Op.  p.  442 

Forms  of  the  Celestial  Tree   443 

"Big  Tree  in  Middle  of  the  Earth"   444 

Arrangement  of  the  Little  Water  Lodge   451 

Bibliography   459 

Index   4G1 


INTRODUCTION 

In  presenting  this  collection  of  Seneca  myths  and  legends, 
the  collator  feels  that  he  should  explain  to  the  general 
reader  that  he  does  not  offer  a  series  of  tales  that  can  be 
judged  by  present  day  literary  standards.  These  Indian 
stories  are  not  published  for  the  mere  entertainment  of 
general  readers,  though  there  is  much  that  is  entertaining 
in  them,  neither  are  they  designed  as  childrens'  fables,  or 
for  supplementary  reading  in  schools,  though  it  is  true  that 
some  of  the  material  may  be  suited  for  the  child  mind.  It 
must  be  understood  that  if  readings  from  this  book  are  to 
be  made  for  children,  a  wise  selection  must  be  made. 

This  collection  is  presented  as  an  exposition  of  the  un- 
written literature  of  the  Seneca  Indians  who  still  live  in 
their  ancestral  domain  in  western  New  York.  It  is  pri- 
marily a  collection  of  folk-lore  and  is  to  be  looked  at  in 
no  other  light.  The  professional  anthropologist  and  his- 
torian will  not  need  to  be  reminded  of  this.  He  will  study 
these  tales  for  their  ethnological  significance,  and  use  them 
in  making  comparisons  with  similar  collections  from  other 
tribes  and  stocks.  In  this  manner  he  will  determine  the 
similarities  or  differences  in  theme,  in  episode  and  char- 
acter. He  will  trace  myth  diffusion  thereby  and  be  able  to 
chart  the  elements  of  the  Seneca  story. 

There  is  an  amazing  lack  of  authentic  material  on 
Iroquois  folk-lore,  though  much  that  arrogates  this  name 
to  itself  has  been  written.  The  writers,  however,  have 
in  general  so  glossed  the  native  themes  with  poetic  and  liter- 
ary interpretations  that  the  material  has  shrunken  in  value 
and  can  scarcely  be  considered  without  many  reservations. 

We  do  not  pretend  to  have  made  a  complete  collection 
of  all  available  material,  but  we  have  given  a  fairly  repre- 
sentative series  of  myths,  legends,  fiction  and  traditions. 

xvii 


xviii 


INTRODUCTION 


One  may  examine  this  collection  and  find  representative 
types  of  nearly  every  class  of  Seneca  folk-lore.  Multiplica- 
tion is  scarcely  necessary. 

The  value  of  this  collection  is  not  a  literary  one  but  a 
scientific  one.  It  reveals  the  type  of  tale  that  held  the 
interest  and  attention  of  the  Seneca;  it  reveals  certain  men- 
tal traits  and  tendencies ;  it  reveals  many  customs  and  inci- 
dents in  native  life,  and  finally,  it  serves  as  an  index  of 
native  psychology. 

The  enlightened  mind  will  not  be  arrogant  in  its  judg- 
ment of  this  material,  but  will  see  in  it  the  attempts  of  a 
race  still  in  mental  childhood  to  give  play  to  imagination 
and  to  explain  by  symbols  what  it  otherwise  could  not 
express. 

While  there  is  much  value  in  this  collection  explaining 
indirectly  the  folk-ways  and  the  folk-thought  of  the  Seneca 
and  their  allied  kinsmen,  the  whole  life  of  the  people  may 
not  be  judged  from  these  legends.  Much  more  must  be 
presented  before  such  a  judgment  is  formed.  Just  as  we 
gain  some  knowledge  of  present  day  religions,  govern- 
mental methods,  social  organization  and  political  economy 
from  the  general  literature  of  the  day,  but  only  a  portion, 
and  this  unsystematized,  so  do  we  catch  only  a  glimpse  of 
the  life  story  of  the  Seneca  from  their  folk-tales. 

To  complete  our  knowledge  we  must  have  before  us 
works  on  Seneca  history,  ethnology,  archaeology,  religion, 
government  and  language.  Finally,  we  must  personally 
know  the  descendents  of  the  mighty  Seneca  nation  of  old. 
We  must  enter  into  the  life  of  the  people  in  a  sympathetic 
way,  for  only  then  can  we  get  at  the  soul  of  the  race. 

While  all  this  is  true,  these  folk-tales  are  not  to  be  de- 
spised, for  they  conserve  many  references  to  themes  and 
things  that  otherwise  would  be  forgotten.  Folklore  is  one 
of  the  most  important  mines  of  information  that  the  eth- 
nologist and  historian  may  tap.  We  can  never  understand 
a  race  until  we  understand  what  it  is  thinking  about, 


INTRODUCTION 


xix 


and  we  can  never  know  this  until  we  know  its  literature, 
written  or  unwritten.  The  folk-tale  therefore  has  a  special 
value  and  significance,  if  honestly  recorded. 

METHODS  EMPLOYED  IN  RECORDING  FOLK 
TALES. 

There  are  several  methods  which  may  be  employed  in 
recording  folklore,  and  the  method  used  depends  largely 
upon  the  purpose  in  mind.  A  poet  may  use  one  method, 
and  grasping  the  plot  of  a  tale,  recast  it  in  a  verbiage 
entirely  unsuitable  and  foreign  to  it ;  a  fiction  writer  may 
use  another  plan,  a  school  boy  another,  a  student  of  philol- 
ogy another,  a  missionary  another,  and  finally  a  student  of 
folk  lore  still  another. 

The  poet  will  see  only  the  inherent  beauty  of  the  story, 
and  perhaps  failing  to  find  any  beauty,  will  invent  it  and 
produce  a  tale  that  no  Indian  would  ever  recognize.  Plot 
and  detail  will  be  changed,  fine  flowery  language  will  be 
used,  and  perhaps  the  whole  given  the  swing  and  meter  of 
blank  verse.  This  is  all  very  well  for  the  poet,  but  he  has 
buried  the  personality  of  the  folk  tale,  albeit  in  petals  of 
roses, — instead  of  allowing  it  nakedly  to  appear  the  living 
thing  it  is. 

The  fiction  writer  will  take  the  original  Indian  tale  and 
tear  it  apart  with  keen  eyed  professional  discrimination. 
He  will  recast  the  plot,  expand  here  and  there,  explain 
here  and  prune  down  there.  He  will  invent  names  and  new 
situations  to  make  the  story  "go,"  then,  as  a  rule,  he  sells  it 
to  a  magazine  or  makes  a  collection  of  tales  for  "a  supple- 
mentary reader  for  children."    But  are  these  Indian  tales? 

The  amateur,  finding  good  material  in  the  Indian  story 
will  do  as  the  fiction  writer  does,  but  he  will  work  in  for- 
eign allusions  and  inconsistent  elements  and  in  other  ways 
betray  his  unfamiliarity  with  his  material.  Like  the  fiction 
writer  he  is  primarily  after  a  story  that  he  can  dress  as 
he  pleases. 


XX 


INTRODUCTION 


The  sectarian  enthusiast,  recording  folklore,  will  fre- 
quently seek  to  show  the  absurdity  of  the  Indian  tale,  and 
point  out  the  foolishness  of  peoples  who  are  unacquainted 
with  biblical  teachings,  but  it  is  fortunate  that  all  mission- 
aries have  not  done  this.  Many  have  recorded  folk-tales 
with  great  conscienciousness,  and  some  of  our  best  sources 
are  from  the  notes  of  well  informed  missionaries. 

The  philologist  will  seek  to  make  literal  transcripts  of 
every  Indian  word  in  painstaking  phonetic  spelling,  and 
then  secure  an  analytical  interlinear  translation.  This  is 
an  accurate  but  awkward  way  of  securing  the  tale,  for 
readers  who  are  accustomed  to  reading  only  straight  Eng- 
lish. It  makes  it  a  most  tedious  and  laborious  thing  to 
read,  and  totally  deprives  the  text  of  all  literary  life. 

The  student  of  folk  lore  starts  in  with  a  purpose.  This 
is  to  secure  the  tale  in  such  a  manner,  that  without  unneces- 
sarily colored  verbiage,  it  may  be  consistently  dressed,  and 
set  forth  in  fluent  English  (or  other  modern  language)  in 
such  a  manner  that  it  may  be  understood  by  an  ordinary 
reader.  The  folk-lore  student  has  still  another  motive  and 
purpose,  which  is  to  so  present  his  legend  that  it  will  awaken 
in  the  mind  of  his  reader  sensations  similar  to  those  aroused 
in  the  mind  of  the  Indian  auditor  hearing  it  from  the  native 
raconteur.  The  recorder  of  the  tale  seeks  to  assimilate  its 
characteristics,  to  become  imbued  with  its  spirit,  to  under- 
stand its  details,  to  follow  its  language, — its  sentences, — 
one  by  one,  as  they  follow  in  sequence,  and  then  he  seeks 
to  present  it  consistently.  He  adds  nothing  not  in  the  origi- 
nal,— despite  the  temptation  to  improve  the  plot, — he  pre- 
sents the  same  arrangement  as  in  the  original,  he  uses  simi- 
lar idioms  and  exclamations,  similar  introductory  words 
and  phrases,  and  presents  an  honestly  constructed  free 
translation.  This  is  far  from  an  easy  thing  to  do,  for  it 
frequently  lays  the  recorder  open  to  the  charge  of  being  a 
clumsy  story  teller.  The  temptation  is  ever  present  to  tell 
a  good  story,  and  let  the  legend  become  the  skeleton  over 


INTRODUCTION  XXI 

which  the  words  are  woven.  Needless  to  say,  this  is  not 
an  honest  thing  to  do,  and  the  folk-lore  student  resists  this 
temptation,  and  gives  his  product  a  genuine  presentation, 
regardless  of  what  literary  critics  may  think.  He  strives 
only  to  be  the  medium  by  which  a  native  tale  is  transformed 
from  its  original  language  to  that  of  another  tongue.  The 
thought,  the  form  and  the  sequence  of  the  story  he  insists 
must  remain  exactly  as  it  was,  though  the  verbal  dress 
is  European  and  not  Indian.1 

Perhaps  actual  illustrations  of  these  methods  will  serve 
to  convey  the  thought  we  are  attempting  to  explain.  Ex- 
amples follow : 

TEXT  IN  SENECA  WITH  INTERLINEAR  TRANS- 
LATION. 

Ne"  gwa',  gi"on',     hadi'nohge'    ne"     sgaoh'iadi"  ne" 

There  it  seems  they  dwell         the       other  side  the 

it  is  said  of  the  sky 

heh'nohgwe'.    Da',  s'ha'degano'ndae11'  ne"ho'  ni'honon'sd't 

they  (M)  man      So       just  in  the  center         there  just  his 

beings  of  the  village  lodge  stands 

ne"    ha'sehnowa'ne"',    ne"ho'     hadjwada'ie11',    ne"  ne'io' 

the  he  Chief  there  his  family         the  his 

(great  name)  lies  wife 

ne"   kho"   ne"   sga't   hodiksa'da'ie"',   ie'on<    ne"  ieksa"a'. 

that     and       the       one     they  child  have  she 

(It  Is)  female  is    the  child. 

Waadiehgwa"s'hon'  o'ne11'  ho'  wa"sawe°'  ne"  hagwehda"s. 

He  was  surprised        now      it  that         he  became  lonesome. 

O'ne11'    di'q    we'so'    ho'nen'iathen'    ne"    Hagen'tci ;  ne" 

Now    moreover  much     his  bones  are  dry     the       He  Ancient  that 
(he  is  very  lean)  One 

gai'iohni     t'hen"en<    deo'nigoh"Ti6'    he"  odiksa'da'ien'aieh" 

it     causes     not  (it  is)  his  mind  happy  because  they  child  one  would 
is  have  think 

ne"     noh"     heniio"den'  ne"      ne"  hosheie'oD. 

that     perhaps       so  it  is  in        that      the        he  is  jealous, 
state 


l  This  is  important  in  order  to  preserve  every  folk-motive  and  ele- 
ment by  which  the  tale  may  be  compared  in  detail  with  those  of  other 
tribes  and  stocks. 


XXll 


INTRODUCTION 


LITERAL  TRANSLATION. 

There  were,  it  seems,  so  it  is  said,  man-beings  dwelling 
on  the  other  side  of  the  sky.  So  just  in  the  center  of  their 
village  the  lodge  of  the  chief  stood,  wherein  lived  his  family, 
consisting  of  his  wife  and  one  child,  that  they  two  had.  He 
was  surprised  that  then  he  began  to  become  lonesome.  Now 
furthermore,  he  the  Ancient  was  very  lean,  his  bones  hav- 
ing become  dried,  and  the  cause  of  this  condition  was  that 
they  two  had  the  child,  and  one  would  think,  judging  from 
the  circumstances  that  he  was  jealous. 

Such  is  the  beginning  of  the  Seneca  version  of  Iroquoian 
cosmology  as  given  by  J.  N.  B.  Hewitt  in  the  21st  Report 
of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology.  This  faithful  record  of  a 
native  text  and  its  translation  is  literally  a  most  painstaking 
work  involving  the  closest  attention  to  the  minor  sounds  in 
the  language,  in  order  that  each  word  may  be  phonetically 
recorded.  To  wade  through  this  literal  translation  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  of  the  myth  would  be  too  tedious  for 
anyone  but  an  enthusiastic  student  of  native  tongues.  To 
the  majority  of  readers  it  would  be  a  forbidding  task.  Even 
to  follow  the  involved  language  and  grammatical  forms  of 
the  close  literal  translation  would  tire  the  mind  of  anyone 
whose  mother  tongue  was  not  that  of  the  text. 

A  free  translation,  therefore  becomes  a  prime  necessity, 
but  this  must  not  disturb  the  original  thought.  Just  how 
to  make  such  a  translation  honestly  becomes  a  problem 
beset  with  difficulty.  Our  plan  is  to  smooth  out  the  lan- 
guage, divest  it  of  its  awkward  arrangement,  and  allow  the 
thought  to  flow  on.    Let  us  attempt  this  in  the  following : 

FREE  TRANSLATION. 

In  ancient  times  a  race  of  transcendent  men  dwelt  on 
the  other  side  of  the  sky.  In  the  center  of  a  village  in  that 
land  stood  the  lodge  of  Ancient  One,  the  chief,  and  there 
he  lived  with  his  wife  and  one  child.    To  his  astonishment, 


INTRODUCTION 


xxiii 


though  he  had  these  companions,  he  began  to  feel  lonely 
and  neglected.  His  form  grew  emaciated  and  his  "bones 
became  dry,"  for  he  longed  for  the  attentions  his  wife  now 
gave  to  his  child. 

Just  how  the  poet  would  handle  this  version  we  hesitate 
to  conjecture  but  we  may  easily  imagine  that  he  would 
make  the  most  of  the  land  above  the  sky,  the  celestial  lodge, 
the  age  of  the  Ancient  One,  his  initial  joy  at  the  birth  of 
his  child,  and  his  gradual  discovery  that  his  wife's  affection 
had  been  transferred  from  him  to  their  offspring,  of  the 
agony  of  soul  that  wilted  his  heroic  form  and  caused  his 
very  bones  to  wither  and  lose  their  marrow,  and  of  the 
final  madness  of  the  Ancient  One,  who  (to  follow  the  myth 
in  its  fullness),  had  a  tormenting  dream  which  caused  him 
to  tear  up  the  celestial  tree  and  cast  his  wife  into  the 
cavernous  hole  that  dropped  down  into  chaos. 

The  plot  of  this  myth-tale  has  elements  that  make  it 
excellent  material  for  the  fiction  writer  who  would  recast  it 
entirely  and  weave  it  into  the  thrilling  story  of  celestial 
tragedy.  We  have  seen  such  attempts  and  have  been 
astonished  at  the  audacity  of  the  writer  who  thus  presents 
his  product  as  a  "genuine  Indian  myth."  Yet,  most  popular 
versions  of  Indian  legends  are  recast  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  Indian  who  supplied  the  bones  would  never  recognize 
the  creature  the  white  man  "teller-of-tales"  has  clothed 
with  civilized  flesh.  As  an  example  of  such  fabrication, 
witness  the  speech  of  Hiawatha  to  the  assembled  tribes  as 
presented  by  J.  V.  H.  Clark  in  his  "Onondaga."  (Vol.  I,  p. 
28  ff.)  This  famous  speech  has  been  passed  down  as  Hia- 
watha's own  words  and  has  been  the  inspiration  of  more 
than  one  poet,  though  Clark  admitted  in  later  years  that  he 
invented  the  entire  address,  basing  it  upon  some  obscure 
references  in  the  original  tradition.  In  many  a  work  on 
"Indian  fables  for  children"  the  so-called  fable  is  merely 
an  invention,  and  the  only  Indian  thing  about  it  is  the  dash 
of  Indian  flavor  used  to  give  the  story  plausibility.  Indians 


XXIV 


INTRODUCTION 


who  have  never  seen  or  read  the  text  of  such  stories  of 
course  might  easily  be  induced  in  various  ways  to  sign 
statements  vouching  for  them,  thus  contributing  to  the 
intensification  of  error. 

It  is  well  to  analyze  the  folk-tale  or  myth  for  its  theme 
and  to  check  it  against  others,  thereby  determining  whether 
or  not  it  is  actually  authentic.  If  it  appears  unusual  and 
unlike  anything  other  informants  have  given,  it  may  be 
placed  in  the  class  of  doubtful  fiction,  and  especially  so  if 
the  "fable"  has  a  "moral"  attached  to  it. 

OBTAINING  CORRECT  VERSIONS. 

It  might  be  supposed  that  myths  and  folk-tales  which  are 
orally  transmitted  would  suffer  great  changes  as  they  pass 
from  one  story  teller  to  another,  and  that  in  time  a  given 
tale  would  become  utterly  corrupted,  and  indeed  so  changed 
that  it  would  bear  faint  resemblance  to  the  "original."  Yet, 
an  examination  of  the  myths  and  legends  recorded  by  early 
observers,  as  the  early  missionaries,  show  that  the  modern 
versions  have  suffered  no  essential  change.  An  excellent 
example  is  the  Iroquoian  creation  myth,  as  recorded  by  the 
Jesuit  fathers  in  the  Relations. 

Religious  traditions,  ceremonies  and  myths,  being  of  a 
"sacred"  character,  must  be  related  with  a  certain  fidelity 
which  forbids  any  real  change  in  the  content.  To  a  lesser 
degree,  perhaps,  but  not  much  less,  the  "ga'gaa."  legends  of 
the  Iroquois  are  protected  from  violent  alteration.  The 
legend  is  a  thing,  to  the  Indian  mind,  and  it  has  a  certain 
personality.  In  certain  instances  the  legend  is  a  personal 
or  group  possession  and  its  form  and  content  are  religiously 
guarded  from  change.  With  tales  told  for  mere  amusement, 
tales  belonging  to  the  class  of  mere  fiction,  greater  liberties 
may  be  taken. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  it  is  certain  that  there  are  sev- 
eral versions  of  each  legend.  Certain  groups  tell  the  myth  or 
legend  in  different  ways.   There  are  short  versions  and  long 


INTRODUCTION 


XXV 


versions  and  there  are  Seneca  versions  and  Mohawk  ver- 
sions. In  order  to  ascertain  the  "correct  version"  we  must 
examine  several  versions  as  related  by  different  narrators, 
and  then  after  making  an  outline  of  the  episodes,  the  char- 
acters and  the  motives,  determine  what  the  central  theme  of 
all  is.  We  can  in  this  manner  judge  what  is  essential  and 
what  is  non-essential. 

There  is  a  wide  variation  in  the  language  used  in  the 
narration  of  some  legends,  just  as  there  is  in  the  relation 
of  modern  stories  told  over  the  banquet  table.  A  better 
example  of  variation,  is  to  consider  the  innumerable  ver- 
sions of  common  nursery  stories,  as  Puss  in  Boots,  Cinder- 
ella, or  Aladdin's  Lamp.  Yet  the  theme  of  the  story  and 
the  episodes,  to  say  nothing  of  the  characters,  remain  un- 
changed. Just  so  with  most  Iroquois  folklore,  much  de- 
pends upon  the  author-raconteur.  Some  will  add  explan- 
atory matter,  some  will  add  picturesque  descriptions,  some 
will  add  an  abundance  of  conversation,  and  some  will 
expand  on  the  emotions  of  the  characters.  There  is  a  wide 
individual  variation  in  these  matters,  and  much  depends 
upon  the  training  and  education  of  the  narrator,  as  well  as 
upon  his  temperament.  Language  may  differ  somewhat, 
but  the  theme  must  remain, — the  real  story  must  never 
suffer  essential  change. 

STORY-TELLING  CUSTOMS  OF  THE  SENECA. 

Among  the  Seneca,  in  common  with  other  Iroquois  tribes, 
each  settlement  had  its  official  story  tellers  whose  predeces- 
sors had  carefully  taught  them  the  legends  and  traditions 
of  the  mysterious  past. 

According  to  ancient  traditions,  no  fable,  myth-tale,  or 
story  of  ancient  adventure  might  be  told  during  the  months 
of  summer.  Such  practice  was  forbidden  by  "the  little 
people"  (  djoge'o0),  the  wood  fairies.  Should  their  law 
be  violated  some  djoge'o"  flying  about  in  the  form  of  a 
beetle  or  bird  might  discover  the  offender  and  report  him 


xxvi 


INTRODUCTION 


to  their  chief.  Upon  this  an  omen  would  warn  the  forget- 
ful Indian.  Failing  to  observe  the  sign  some  evil  would 
befall  the  culprit.  Bees  might  sting  his  lips  or  his  tongue 
would  swell  and  fill  his  mouth,  snakes  might  crawl  in  his 
bed  and  choke  him  while  he  slept,  and  so  on,  until  he  was 
punished  and  forced  to  desist  from  forbidden  talk. 

Certain  spirits  were  reputed  to  enforce  this  law  for  two 
purposes;  first,  that  no  animal  should  become  offended  by 
man's  boasting  of  his  triumph  over  beasts,  or  at  the  same 
time  learn  too  much  of  human  cunning,  and  fly  forever 
the  haunts  of  mankind ;  and  second,  that  no  animal,  who 
listening  to  tales  of  wonder,  adventure  or  humor,  should 
become  so  interested  as  to  forget  its  place  in  nature,  and 
pondering  over  the  mysteries  of  man's  words,  wander  dazed 
and  aimless  through  the  forest.  To  listen  to  stories  in  the 
summer  time  made  trees  and  plants  as  well  as  animals  and 
men  lazy,  and  therefore  scanty  crops,  lean  game  and  shift- 
less people  resulted.  To  listen  to  stories  made  the  birds 
forget  to  fly  to  the  south  when  winter  came,  it  made  the 
animals  neglect  to  store  up  winter  coats  of  fur.  All  the 
world  stops  work  when  a  good  story  is  told  and  afterwards 
forgets  its  wonted  duty  in  marveling.  Thus  the  modern 
Iroquois,  following  the  old  time  custom,  reserves  his  tales 
of  adventures,  myth  and  fable  for  winter  when  the  year's 
work  is  over  and  all  nature  slumbers. 

The  story  teller  (Hage'ota')  when  he  finds  an  audience 
about  him  or  wishes  to  call  one,  announces  his  intention  to 
recite  a  folk  tale,  (ga'gaa,  or  in  the  plural,  gaga"shon"o' )  by 
exclaiming  "I"newa'engege'oden,  Hau"nio"  djadao11  "diinus  !" 
The  auditors  eagerly  reply  "Hen"  "  which  is  the  assenting 
to  the  proposed  relation  of  the  folk  tale. 

At  intervals  during  the  relation  of  a  story  the  auditors 
must  exclaim  "he11"."  This  is  the  sign  that  they  were 
listening.  If  there  was  no  frequent  response  of  "he,"  the 
story  teller  would  stop  and  inquire  what  fault  was  found 
with  him  or  his  story. 


INTRODUCTION 


xxvii 


It  was  not  only  considered  a  breach  of  courtesy  for  a 
listener  to  fall  asleep,  but  also  a  positive  omen  of  evil  to  the 
guilty  party.  If  any  one  for  any  reason  wished  to  sleep  or 
to  leave  the  room,  he  must  request  the  narrator  to  "tie  the 
story,  "ensegagha"a."  Failing  to  say  this  and  afterwards 
desiring  to  hear  the  remainder  of  the  tale,  the  narrator 
would  refuse,  for  if  he  related  it  at  all  it  must  be  from  the 
beginning  through,  unless  "tied."  Thus  "ensegaha"a"  was 
the  magic  word  by  which  a  legend  might  be  told  as  a  serial 
(from  ensege'ode). 

A  story  teller  was  known  as  "Hage'ota'  "  and  his  stock 
of  tales  called  "ganondas'hago11".  Each  listener  gave  the 
story  teller  a  small  gift,  as  a  bead,  small  round  brooch, 
beads,  tobacco,  or  other  trinket.  To  tell  stories  was  called 
"ensege'oden",  and  the  gift  was  termed  "dagwa'niatcis," 
now  an  obsolete  word. 


xxviii 


INTRODUCTION 


PHONETIC  KEY. 

a  as  in  father 

a  preceding  sound,  prolonged 

a  as  in  what 

a  as  in  hat 

a  as  in  all 

ai  as  in  aisle 

au  as  011  in  out 

c  as  sh  in  shall 

c  as  th  in  wealth 

d  pronounced  with  the  tip  of  the  tongue  touching  the  upper 
teeth  ,  as  in  enunciating  English  th  in  with;  the  only  sound  of  d 
employed  in  writing  native  words 

e  as  in  they 

e  as  in  met 

f  as  in  waif 

g  as  in  gig 

h  as  in  hot 

i  as  in  pique 

i  as  in  pit 

k  as  in  kick 

n  as  in  run 

fi  as  ng  in  ring 

o  as  in  note 

q  as  ch  in  German  ich 

r  slightly  trilled;  this  is  its  only  sound 

s  as  in  sop 

t  pronounced  with  the  tip  of  the  tongue  touching  the  upper 
teeth,  as  in  enunciating  the  English  th  in  with;  this  is  its  only 
sound 

u  as  in  rule 

u  as  in  rut 

w  as  in  wit 

y  as  in  ye 

dj  as  j  in  judge 

hw  as  wh  in  what 

tc  as  ch  in  church 

n  marks  nasalized  vowels,  thus  e",  o",  ai",  e",  a",  a" 
'  indicates  an  aspiration  or  soft  emission  of  breath 
'  marks  the  glottal  stop,  a',  e" 

t'h  In  this  combination  t  and  h  are  separately  uttered,  as  th 
in  the  English  words  hothouse,  foothold 


FUNDAMENTAL  FACTORS  IN 
SENECA  FOLK-LORE 


I 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  FOLK-TALES 

BASIC  PREMISES  OF  SENECA  FOLK-LORE 

The  myths  and  legends  of  the  Seneca  are  built  upon  cer- 
tain well  recognized  and  deeply  rooted  postulates.  Each 
bit  of  folk-lore  must  have  its  consistency  adjudged  by  these 
elements  in  order  to  be  credible.  Any  myth  or  legend  that 
offended  the  standards  so  set  would  immediately  be  rejected 
by  the  Seneca  as  spurious.  To  a  large  extent  the  premises 
of  folk-lore  are  founded  on  folk-thought,  and  woe  to  the 
innovator  who  sought  to  direct  his  theme  from  the  accepted 
thought  patterns. 

Among  the  basic  beliefs  upon  which  the  folk-tale  is 
built  are  the  following: 

Unseen  spirits.  Spirits  pervade  all  nature  and  affect  man 
for  good  or  evil.  Their  desires  and  plans  must  be  satisfied 
by  man.  There  are  both  good  and  evil  spirits.  Spirits  may 
inhabit  anything  in  nature. 

Conflict  of  good  and  evil  spirits.  Good  spirits  are  con- 
stantly making  war  upon  evil  spirits. 

Magical  power.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  orenda  or  magi- 
cal power.  Such  power  makes  its  possessor  the  master 
over  the  natural  order  of  things.  This  orenda  may  be 
acquired  in  various  ways.  It  may  be  residual,  and  therefore 
an  attribute  of  the  individual,  or  it  may  be  inherent  in  some 
charm  or  fetish.  Virtuous  persons  may  be  given  a  good 
orenda,  which  is  always  more  powerful  in  the  end  than  the 
evil  orenda  which  is  possessed  by  witches  and  sorcerers. 

Transformation.  Any  being  possessing  orenda  may  trans- 
form himself  into  any  form, — animate  or  inanimate,  as  his 
orenda  gives  power.  Anything  seen  in  nature  may  be  a 
temporary  or  a  permanent  transformation  of  a  being  having 

3 


4 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


orenda.  Transformation  may  be  by  command  or  by  enter- 
ing the  skin  of  the  creature  whose  form  one  desires  to 
assume.  Animals  having  orenda  may  assume  human  form 
and  mingle  with  human  beings.  A  group  of  people,  there- 
fore, may  in  reality  be  a  transformed  group  of  animals, 
and  likewise  with  individuals. 

All  nature  is  conscious.  Everything  in  the  Seneca  phil- 
osophy lives  and  is  conscious.  It  is  a  being  and  in  commun- 
ication with  other  parts  of  nature.  Anything  in  nature  may 
be  spoken  to  and  it  will  hear  what  one  has  said.  It  may 
be  induced  to  act  in  one's  behalf. 

All  living  creatures  have  souls.  The  Seneca  believes  that 
animals  have  souls  that  are  alike  in  their  nature  to  the  souls 
of  human  beings.  The  hunter,  therefore,  propitiates  the 
soul  of  the  animal  he  kills,  and  explains  why  he  killed  it. 
The  souls  of  friendly  animals  help  man,  if  man  has  been 
courteous,  and  has  properly  propitiated  them.  Souls  of 
evil  animals  injure  men  and  must  be  "bought  off."  The 
souls  of  all  creatures  return  to  the  Maker  of  Souls  just  as 
man's  does. 

Master  of  souls.  There  is  in  the  heaven  world  a  Master 
of  life  and  soul.  He  allows  his  subordinate  spirits  to  rule 
the  earth-world  and  concerns  himself  generally  with  his 
own  realm.  Souls  that  return  to  him  are  taken  apart  and 
readjusted  that  they  may  function  properly  in  the  immortal 
realm.  Evil  is  therefore  conceived  in  a  measure  as  a  mal- 
adjustment of  the  soul's  parts. 

Ghosts.  The  manes  of  departed  men  and  animals  wander 
over  their  familiar  haunts  and  startle  men  by  their  "ma- 
terializations." Wandering  ghosts  generally  want  some- 
thing and  must  have  their  desires  satisfied.  The  evil  of  the 
living  person  is  intensified  in  the  ghost.  A  ghost  is  the 
body  spirit  and  not  the  real  psychic  personality. 

Dreams.  Dreams  are  experiences  of  the  soul  as  it  leaves 
the  body  during  sleep.  The  dream  god  guides  the  soul  to 
its  dream  experience.    Dreams  that  prompt  the  individual 


EDWARD  CORNPLANTER— SOSONDOWA 

Leading  chief  of  the  Cattaraugus  Wolf  Clan  and  High  Priest  of 
the  Ganiodaiu  religion.  Mr.  Cornplanter  was  probably  the  last 
of  the  New  York  Iroquois  who  knew  by  heart  every  one  of  the 
ancient  ceremonial  rituals.  He  died  in  June,  1918,  aged  67, 
and  was  buried  near  the  Newtown  Long  House. 


FOLK  BEINGS  AND  MAJOR  SPIRITS 


5 


to  certain  desires  must  be  interpreted  by  a  chosen  person 
or  by  volunteer  guessers,  and  the  desire  must  be  satisfied, 
or  calamity  will  befall  the  dreamer  as  well  as  the  unsuccess- 
ful guesser.  Prophetic  dreams  must  guide  action  and 
dream  demands  must  not  be  lightly  set  aside. 

Monsters.  There  are  monsters  that  men  seldom  see. 
These  affect  the  welfare  and  the  destiny  of  man.  They  are 
generally  evil  and  seek  to  destroy  and  sometimes  to  eat 
human  beings. 

Wizards.  There  are  such  beings  as  wizards,  witches  and 
sorcerers.  These  beings  possess  an  evil  orenda  and  seek 
to  destroy  innocent  people. 


GODS,  MAJOR  SPIRITS  AND  FOLK-BEASTS  OF 
THE  SENECA 

i.    BEINGS  OF  THE  PRIMAL  ORDER. 

The  first  of  the  God  Being  was  Te'haon'hwendjaiwa"- 
khoD'  or  Earth  Holder.  It  was  he  who  ruled  the  sky  world 
and  lived  in  the  great  celestial  lodge  beneath  the  celestial 
tree.  As  the  result  of  a  dream  this  chief,  who  also  bears 
the  title,  Ancient  One,  was  moved  to  take  to  himself  as  a 
wife  a  certain  maiden,  known  as  Awenha'i\  Mature  Flower 
(Fertile  Earth).  Mature  Flower  consented  to  the  betrothal, 
but  due  to  the  embrace  of  her  lover  inhaled  his  breath,  and 
was  given  a  child.  The  attention  she  gave  this  child  caused 
the  Ancient  One  to  be  moved  to  jealousy,  this  emotion  be- 
ing aroused  in  him  through  the  machinations  of  the  Fire 
Beast,  whose  invisibility  rendered  his  work  the  more  subtle. 
Little  is  known  through  mythology  of  Ancient  One,  since 
his  field  is  a  celestial  one,  and  he  seldom  interferes  with 
the  doings  of  men  of  our  present  order.    Of  his  unhappy 


6 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


wife,  who  was  cast  through  the  hole  made  by  the  uprooting 
of  the  celestial  tree  we  learn  more.1 

The  wife  of  the  Ancient  One  was  Iagen"tci',  also  mean- 
ing Ancient  One  (Body).  We  recognize  her  in  the  Huron 
myths  as  recorded  or  mentioned  in  the  Jesuit  Relations  as 
Ataentsic  ( Ataaentsik).  In  Onondaga  this  would  be 
Eia'tagen"tci'.  Her  story  is  given  in  all  versions  of  the 
creation  myth. 

Her  personal  name  seldom  appears,  but  Hewitt  gives  it 
as  Awen'ha'i',  this  referring  to  her  maturity,  or  ability  to 
bring  forth  seed.  In  some  versions  the  Chief  casts  his  wife 
into  the  abyss  made  by  uprooting  the  celestial  tree, 
Gainia"tga"hei' ;  in  others  her  own  curiosity  is  responsible. 
The  tree  in  such  versions  is  uprooted  as  a  dream  demand 
and  her  enraged  husband  pushes  her  into  the  hole  made 
thereby  through  the  crust  of  the  heaven-world.  After 
the  completion  of  the  earth-world  the  sky  mother  returned 
by  way  of  an  etherial  path  that  plainly  was  visible  to  her, 
this  having  been  made  by  her  daughter,  .the  first  born  and 
the  first  to  die  of  earth  creatures. 

Fire  Beast  (Gaas'iohdie't'ha'),  appears  to  have  been  one 
of  the  important  primal  beings,  and  to  have  exercised  a 
malign  influence  even  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  celestial 
world.  He  is  described  as  of  "sky  color"  or  invisible,  and 
he  is  only  detected  at  all  when  he  emits  streams  and  flashes 
of  light  from  his  head.  When  a  meteor  flashes  the  Iroquois 
recognizes  the  Fire  Beast.  His  appearance  is  counted  as  a 
sign  of  direful  calamity  and  death. 

Whirlwind  (S'hagodiiwen"g6wa  or  Hadu'T),  was  also  a 
primal  power  of  great  importance.  He  is  the  controller  of 
the  violent  winds,  and  he  takes  his  name,  He-who-defends- 
us,  from  his  promise  to  help  mankind  when  threatened  by 


l  Consult  Hewitt  in  Handbook  of  the  American  Indians,  under  his 
article  Teharonhiawagon.  We  have  re-edited  some  of  our  notes  in 
accord  with  his  findings. 


FOLK  BEINGS  AND  MAJOR  SPIRITS 


7 


calamity.  His  symbol  is  the  crooked-mouthed  false-face. 
There  is  also  the  concept  of  the  four  defenders,  one  for 
each  of  the  cardinal  directions.  It  was  Whirlwind  who 
boasted  his  power  to  the  Good  Mind  (Iouskeha)  and  who 
had  the  contest  with  him  of  mountain  moving.  The  face 
became  mutilated  by  the  mountain  coming  too  quickly 
against  it,  at  the  command  of  the  Good  Mind.  Agreeing 


THE  THUNDER  SPIRIT 

This  is  the  powerful  Hihnon,  one  of  the  principal  spirits  in  the 
Seneca  pantheon.    Drawing  by  Jesse  Cornplanter. 


8 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


that  he  was  now  a  subordinate  he  agreed  furthermore,  to 
drive  away  disease  and  pestilence  and  to  defend  men-beings, 
who  should  be  thereafter  created,  from  malign  influences. 
His  face  carved  in  wood,  after  certain  propitiatory  and 
invocatory  ceremonies,  was  and  still  is  used  by  the  conserv- 
ative Iroquois  in  their  ceremonial  events,  particularly  at  the 
mid-winter  thanksgiving,  when  parties  of  masked  figures 
go  from  house  to  house,  singing  the  magical  songs  deemed 
potent  for  this  purpose.  The  common  name  is  Hadu'T,  but 
in  all  ceremonies  the  full  Seneca  appelation  is  given, 
( Shagodiiwen"g6wa). 

The  Thunderer,  Hi"non',  was  another  of  the  great  beings, 
but  he  appears  in  the  second  order  of  mythology,  as  a  ser- 
vant to  louskeha.  He  occupies  a  high  place  in  the  category 
of  Iroquois  gods,  so  high  a  place  that  it  is  an  open  ques- 
tion whether  or  not  the  Great  Being  whom  the  Iroquois  now 
address  as  Hawehi'o'  is  not  identical  with  the  Thunderer, 
though  there  is  also  a  recognition  of  the  Thunderer  as  a 
separate  being.  The  name  Haweni'o',  apparently  is  derived 
from  oweh'na',  (voice)  and  i'o'  (good,  great,  majestic  or 
beautiful).  The  initial  Ha  is  the  masculine  sign.  The 
name  thus  means,  He-great-voice.  This  alludes  to  the 
thunder.  The  Thunderer  is  a  mighty  being,  the  maker  of 
rains.  He  wrinkles  his  brow  and  the  thunder  rolls,  he 
winks  his  eyes  and  lightnings  flash  like  arrows  of  fire.  The 
Thunderer  hates  all  evil  spirits,  and  he  is  charged  with  ter- 
rorizing the  otgont  or  malicious  dwellers  of  the  under  world 
to  return  to  their  cave.  He  seeks  to  slay  the  under  water 
serpent  and  all  folk-beasts  that  would  use  evil  magic. 

The  benificient  earth-god  was  T'hahon'hiawa"kon.  the 
light  or  elder  twin  of  the  Sky  Woman's  daughter.  He  is 
variously  called  louskeha  (Huron),  Ha'ni'go"io',  Good 
Mind,  Elder  Brother,  and  Sky  Holder.  It  was  he  who 
watched  at  the  grave  of  his  mother,  and  discovered  the  food 
plants.    It  was  he  who  set  forth  on  the  journey  "to  the 


FOLK  BEINGS  AND  MAJOR  SPIRITS 


9 


East"  and  obtained  from  his  father  the  power  to  rule.  He 
made  the  earth  habitable  for  man,  obtained  the  mastery  over 
the  Thunderer  and  the  Whirlwind,  and  even  made  his 
grandmother,  Eia'tagen"tci'  (Awen'ha'i*)  play  the  game  of 
plum  stones,  the  result  of  which  should  determine  who 
should  rule  the  earth.  He  animated  his  plum  stone  dice 
and  gave  them  understanding,  ordered  them  to  arrange 
themselves  as  he  directed,  and  thereby  won  the  highest 
count  in  a  single  throw.  This  gave  him  mastery  over  his 
evil  brother  Tawis'karo"  (the  icy  or  flinty  one),  for  the 
grandmother  sympathised  with  this  ugly  twin  brother  of 
his.  In  the  heaven  world,  T'hahon'hiawa"kon,  now  lives 
with  his  grandmother,  in  the  reunited  family  of  celestial 
beings,  and  though  he  grows  very  old  he  has  the  power  of 
renewing  himself  at  will,  and  exercises  this  power  over  good 
souls  that  come  into  the  heaven  world.  He  created  man 
after  observing  his  own  reflection  in  a  pool  of  water,  after 
which  he  made  miniature  figures  in  clay  and  commanded 
them  to  live. 

Tawis'karo",  was  the  second  born  of  the  daughter  of  the 
Sky  Woman.  He  was  of  destructive  nature,  and  found  his 
way  to  life  through  the  axilla  of  his  mother,  killing  her 
at  birth.  His  heart  was  made  of  ice  or  of  flint  (the  words 
are  similar).  His  delight  is  in  destroying  living  things, 
especially  by  freezing.  He  created  all  the  evil  beasts,  ser- 
pents, insects  and  birds.  He  invented  thorns,  briars,  and 
by  kicking  at  the  earth  made  cliffs  and  precipices.  During 
his  career  he  stole  all  the  good  animals  and  hid  them  in  a 
cave ;  he  drove  all  the  birds  away.  His  great  feat  was  in 
stealing  the  sun  and  hiding  it  in  the  far  southwest.  Aided 
by  the  fires  which  his  brother,  T'hahon'hiwa"kon,  and  his 
cohorts  secured,  the  birds  and  animals  were  found  and  the 
sun  was  released.  This  of  course  typifies  the  annual  tri- 
umph of  summer  over  winter,  the  return  of  the  migrating 
birds,  and  the  return  of  the  heat  of  the  sun.  Tawis'karo" 


II) 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


is  then  confined  to  his  cavern,  hence  his  name  Hanis'he'ono", 
meaning  He  who  dwells  in  the  earth.  With  the  coming  of 
the  Christian  missionaries,  Tawiskaro  was  identified  with 
the  Christian  devil,  (Ha'nigoiet'ga',  bad  mind).2  Strange- 
ly, about  this  time  it  was  the  Thunder  god,  instead  of  the 
good-minded  Sky  Holder,  who  was  metamorphosed  into  the 
Great  Spirit,  Havverii'o',  this  name  being  the  Seneca  equiva- 
lent for  Jehovah  (God).3 

Lesser  known  gods  were  Ai'ko11'  the  Dream  god, 
Haskota'hiahaks,  the  Head  Opener,  and  Deioda'sondai'ko11', 
Thick  Night.  Aikon,  caused  the  dreams  which  demanded 
interpretation,  and  Haskotahiahaks,  opened  the  heads  of 
soul-bodies  as  they  passed  over  the  sky-trail  (Milky  Way), 
and  examined  them  for  good  and  evil  thoughts,  after  which 
he  ate  the  brains. 

Cosmic  trees.  There  is  a  marvelous  tree  in  the  center 
of  the  heaven  world.  It  bears  all  manner  of  fruits  and 
flowers.    (See  cosmological  myth,  p.  59.) 

There  is  a  great  tree  in  the  center  of  the  earth.  Its  top 
touches  the  sky.  It  grew  in  the  world  of  the  first  order 
and  it  bore  flowers-of-light.  To  touch  this  tree  is  to  acquire 
great  magical  power.  The  Whirlwinds  rub  their  rattles 
against  it  and  become  full  of  orenda. 

2.    NATURE  BEINGS 

The  Sun,  among  the  nature  gods,  is  recognized  by  the 
Seneca  as  a  powerful  being.  Yet,  unlike  the  gods  in  other 
theogenies,  the  Sun  is  a  creation  made  after  the  formation 
of  the  world, — at  least  so  it  would  appear  from  the  common 
cosmogeny.  Sun  was  created  from  the  face  of  the  earth- 
mother,  yet  it  may  be  that  her  face  was  the  sacrifice  that 

2  S'hagoewaf'ha,  also  meaning  He-punishes-them. 

3  Oddly  enough,  the  original  Hebrew  concept  of  Yahweh,  (Jehovah) 
was  of  a  God  of  elements,  particularly  the  storms.  He  manifested 
himself  in  the  thunder's  roar  and  by  the  lightning's  flash,  and  blew 
like  a  great  wind  from  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  terrifying  the  Philis- 
tines. 


12 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


brought  the  Sun  into  evidence.  There  is  evidence  of 
attempts  to  conceal  the  origin  of  the  sun  in  several  of  the 
myths.  He  appears  as  the  messenger  of  the  Sky  Chief  and 
as  the  special  god  of  war,  Ho'sgen'age"dag6wa.  He  also 
appears  as  existing  before  the  birth  of  the  primal  twins, 
and  it  appears  that  he  is  the  being  who  sat  on  the  moun- 
tain "to  the  east  across  the  sea,"  and  who  gave  power  to 
the  Good  Mind,  or  T'hahonhiawa"kon.  It  thus  appears 
there  is  an  imperfect  assimilation  of  conflicting  myths, 
probably  from  different  sources. 

Each  day  the  Sun  starts  from  his  resting  place  in  the 
branches  of  the  celestial  tree,  takes  his  path  under  the  lifted 
east  sky,  rolls  up  the  dome  and  commences  his  unerring 
watch  of  the  movements  of  men.  Wherever  there  is  light, 
there  is  the  messenger  of  the  Sky  Chief  watching  human 
behaviour.  Returning  at  night,  he  recites  all  that  he  has 
observed  on  earth. 

He  bears  the  name  Ende'ka  Gaa"kwa,  Diurnal  Orb  of 
Light. 

The  Moon  is  Soi"ka  Gaa"kwa,  Nocturnal  Orb  of  Light, 
and  she  is  hailed  as  "Our  Grandmother."  In  each  of  her 
several  phases  she  has  a  different  name  and  function.  She 
is  watched  by  the  females  as  a  sign  of  health,  and  by  the 
men  as  a  sign  of  hunting  luck.  By  the  Moon  time  is  regu- 
lated, and  each  monthly  moon  has  a  special  name.  Of  all 
heavenly  bodies  she  is  the  most  mysterious,  though  not 
the  most  powerful. 

Morning  Star,  Genden'wit'ha,  is  one  of  the  great  beings 
of  the  sky  and  her  appearance  is  watched  as  an  omen.  It 
appears  that  once  Morning  Star  was  an  important  celestial 
personage,  but  the  Iroquois  have  drifted  away  from  giving 
her  special  honors.  She  appears  in  several  rolls,  sometimes 
as  a  siren  who  lures  hunters  into  a  luckless  marriage,  mys- 
teriously leaving  them  to  wander  the  world  over  in  search 
of  her.    She  appears  to  have  charmed  an  elk  into  loving 


FOLK  BEINGS  AND  MAJOR  SPIRITS 


13 


her,  and  also  as  a  rescuer  of  starving  villages  in  time  of 
famine.   She  is  called  Gadji'son'da'  genderi'wit'ha'. 

Storm  Wind,  Dagwanoeient,  (Dagwano'eh'ien)  is  a 
being  of  great  activity,  and  he  has  a  whole  tribe  of  sub- 
ordinates bearing  his  name.   He  appears  to  men  as  a  Flying 


THE  FLYING  HEAD  OP  THE  WIND 
This  is  the  whirlwind  or  Dagwanoeient.     Drawing  by  Jesse  Corn- 
planter. 


Head,  with  long  streaming  hair,  and  his  exploits  are  gen- 
erally discreditable.  He  is  a  great  wizard  and  takes  delight 
in  destroying  things.  His  friends  are  generally  sorcerers 
and  otgont  (evilly  potent)  beasts.  Many  legends  are  related 
about  Dagwanoeient  in  his  various  forms,  for  he  has  several 
transformations. 

Ga'ha',  the  zephyr,  is  a  softer  wind  than  the  stormy 
Dagwanoeient,  and  appears  to  be  of  a  kindlier  disposition. 
While  Ga'ha'  may  have  done  magical  things,  it  was  not 
malign,  and  there  are  legends  that  tell  how  Gaha  wooed 
some  fair  forest  maid  and  married  her.    Gaha  helps  plant 


14  SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

grow  and  is  associated  with  the  warm  season  when  fruits 
ripen  and  mature. 

The  Frost  god  is  known  as  Ha"tho',  and  he  is  described 
as  a  fierce  and  relentless  old  man  who  lives  where  frosts  and 
ice  abound  the  year  around.  His  home  in  the  north  is 
called  Othowege.  It  is  he  who  brings  the  frost  and  who 
causes  the  snows  to  sweep  over  the  earth.  His  clothing  is 
ice  and  he  carries  a  maul  with  which  he  pounds  the  ice 


THE  SPIRIT  OF  THE  FROST 

This  is  Haht'ho,  the  spirit  of  the  frost  who  signals  by  knocking  on 
the  trees  in  winter.    Drawing  by  Jesse  Cornplanter. 

on  rivers  and  lakes,  making  them  crack  with  a  resounding 
boom.  He  also  causes  that  peculiar  knocking  sound  on 
trees  when  the  weather  is  very  cold.  He  has  one  great 
enemy,  it  is  the  spirit  of  Spring,  who  assisted  by  Thaw 
drives  him  from  the  region  that  he  has  invaded  and  sends 
him  grumbling  back  to  the  northland.    The  Frost  god  has 


FOLK  BEINGS  AND  MAJOR  SPIRITS 


IS 


as  his  friends  Dagwanoeient,  the  Storm  Wind,  and  Falling 
Hail. 

The  Hail  spirit  is  called  Owisondyon.  He  loves  to  startle 
people  by  coming  unexpectedly  in  the  warm  months  of 
early  summer  and  to  pelt  the  growing  crops  with  his  icy 
missies.  Sometimes  he  is  given  the  name,  Dehodyadgaowen, 
meaning  Divided  Body. 

The  Spring  god  is  Dedio's'hwineq'do11,  and  he  is  young 
and  very  muscular.  He  loves  to  wrestle  with  the  winter 
winds  and  even  enters  Ha"tho's  lodge  and  teases  him  to 
desperation  while  his  faithful  ally.  Thaw,  plays  havoc  with 
the  ice  and  the  drifts  outside.  Spring  tortures  the  Winter 
god  with  a  medicine  made  of  blackberry  juice,  for  Winter 
god  knows  that  when  blackberries  grow  winter  is  beyond 
the  power  of  injuring  the  world.  At  last  Spring  and  Winter 
have  a  wrestling  match  in  which  Winter  is  overcome  and 
his  bodily  form  melts  upon  the  ground,  while  his  spirit 
whines  away,  driven  north  by  the  south  winds.  Spring 
lives  in  One'nan'ge',  Sunshine  land. 

The  Thaw  god  is  Daga'en"da,  the  faithful  ally  of  Spring. 
When  he  comes,  in  midwinter  he  appears  suddenly  and  be- 
gins to  wreck  the  icy  blankets  that  winter  has  placed  over 
the  earth.  Winter  then  knows  that  Spring  is  coming  and 
exerts  all  his  magic  to  freeze  the  world  again  and  to  make 
his  reign  even  more  terrible.  Time  passes  and  Thaw  comes 
again  bringing  his  master,  Spring,  and  then  there  is  a  fight 
to  the  finish,  and  Spring  is  supreme,  while  Thaw  pursues 
ever  to  torment  Ha"tho',  on  his  frontiers. 

The  spirits  of  sustenance  are  knownw  as  Dion'he'kon,  and 
they  are  represented  as  the  inseparable  spirits  of  the  corn, 
the  bean  and  the  squash.  They  are  sometimes  referred  to 
as  "the  three  sisters."  The  ceremonial  dance  in  their  honor 
is  called  Gonda'goiiwi'sas.  There  are  many  legends  of 
these  spirits  of  sustenance  and  the  wise  men  and  women 


16 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


of  ancient  times  tell  of  hearing  them  talk  together  in  the 
fields  where  they  grow  together. 

Tide  spirit  is  known  as  S'hagowe'not'ha,  and  it  is  he 
who  controls  the  rising  and  falling  of  the  great  waters, 
twice  in  each  day.  It  is  said  that  he  controls  the  lifting  of 
the  sky's  rim  in  the  land  of  Gaenhyakdondye  (the  horizon), 
which  allows  the  sun  to  emerge  in  the  morning  and  depart 
at  night.  Sometimes  he  tempts  canoemen  far  out  to  sea 
and  then  crushes  them  under  the  edge  of  the  sky's  rim.  He 
sometimes  lures  disohedient  boys  to  lonely  islands  where 
witches  and  wizards  live  on  human  flesh.  Altogether,  aside 
from  certain  functions,  he  is  an  evil  monster. 

Will-o'-the-wisp,  or  Gahai",  is  known  as  the  witch's 
torch.  It  is  not  a  spirit  of  the  first  order,  but  merely  a 
flying  light  which  directs  sorcerers  and  witches  to  their 
victims.  Sometimes  it  guides  them  to  the  spots  where  they 
may  find  their  charms.  Sorcerers  have  been  detected  by 
the  frequent  appearance  of  their  Gahai",  which  leaves  their 
smoke  hole  and  guides  them  as  they  ride  in  mid  air  on  their 
evil  journeys. 

3.    MAGIC  BEASTS  AND  BIRDS. 

Chief  among  all  the  creatures  that  inhabit  the  air  is  the 
wonderful  O's'ha'da'gea',  the  Cloudland  Eagle.  He  seems 
ever  to  watch  over  mankind,  especially  the  Iroquois,  and 
to  come  to  earth  when  great  calamities  threaten.  Living 
above  the  clouds  he  collects  the  dews  in  his  feathers,  and 
some  say  that  he  has  a  pool  of  dew  on  his  back  between 
his  shoulders.  The  Iroquois  regard  him  with  great  rever- 
ence, for  he  is  connected  with  many  a  worthy  exploit. 

Horned  Snake,  Gas'hais'dowane",  has  several  names 
among  which  are  Doona"gaes  and  Djondi"gwadon.  He  is 
a  monster  serpent  of  the  underwaters  and  his  head  is 
adorned  with  antlers  of  great  spread,  though  he  is  also  said 


FOLK  BEINGS  AND  MAJOR  SPIRITS 


17 


to  have  monster  horns  shaped  like  a  buffalo's.  He  is  cap- 
able of  transforming  himself  to  the  appearance  of  a  man, 
and  as  such  delights  in  luring  maidens  to  his  abode.  In  a 
few  instances  he  appears  as  the  gallant  rescuer  of  women 
marooned  on  bewitched  islands.  Like  other  monsters  he 
has  a  brood  of  his  kind,  he  having  females  as  well.  These 
sometimes  lure  men  under  water  and  seek  to  transform 
them  by  inducing  them  to  put  on  the  garments  they  wear. 
Horned  Snake  is  hated  by  the  Thunderer,  who  spares  no 
energy  to  kill  him  before  he  can  dive. 

Monster  Bear,  Nia"gwai'he'g6wa,  is  the  most  feared  of 
magic  beasts  and  one  of  the  most  frequent  among  them  to 
enter  in  to  the  fortunes  of  men.  He  loves  to  race  and  in 
various  forms  which  he  assumes,  seeks  to  get  men,  and 
particularly  boys,  to  bet  their  lives  on  the  race,  which  gen- 
erally lasts  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  He  has  a  vulnerable 
spot  on  the  bottom  of  one  of  his  feet  and  unless  some  hero 
hits  this  the  monster  does  not  die.  His  bones  form  import- 
ant parts  of  "magic  medicine"  and  the  dust  from  one  of  his 
leg  bones  if  taken  as  a  medicine  is  reputed  to  make  a 
runner  invincible. 

White  Beaver,  Nangannia"gon,  is  an  otgont  beast  who 
lives  in  magic  waters.  He  seldom  appears,  but  when  he 
does  he  means  disaster.  Usually  he  is  represented  as  the 
transformed  son  of  a  great  witch.  He  is  sometimes  called 
Diat'dagwut. 

Blue  Otter,  is  another  magic  beast  whose  home  is  in  the 
water.  His  function  is  to  poison  springs.  He  has  another 
function,  that  of  inflicting  disease  by  his  magic,  and  in  this 
way  he  secures  offerings  of  tobacco. 

Blue  Lizard,  Djai'nosgowa,  seems  to  be  a  beast  looking 
something  like  an  allegator.  He  lives  in  pools  and  is  the 
servant  of  wizards  and  witches. 


1 8 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


4.  MAGICAL  MAN-LIKE  BEINGS. 
The  Stone  Giants,  or  Stone  Coats,  Gennon"sgwa',  are 
commonly  described  in  Seneca  folk-tales.  They  are  beings 
like  unto  men,  but  of  gigantic  size  and  covered  with  coats 
of  flint.  They  are  not  gods  and  are  vulnerable  to  the 
assaults  of  celestial  powers,  though  the  arrows  of  men  harm 
them  not  at  all.  The  early  Iroquois  are  reputed  to  have 
had  many  wars  with  them,  and  the  last  one  is  said  to  have 
been  killed  in  a  cave. 

Pygmies,  Djoge'o0,  are  little  people  who  live  in  caves. 
They  are  a  tribe  by  themselves  and  live  in  houses  as  men 
do.  They  frequent  deep  gulches  and  the  borders  of  streams. 
In  some  ways  they  are  tricky,  but  in  general  do  not  injure 
men.  They  are  not  successful  hunters  and  are  grateful 
for  the  fingernail  parings  of  human  beings.  These  are 
saved  by  the  thoughtful  and  tied  in  little  bundles  which  are 
thrown  over  cliffs  for  the  Djogeon  to  gather  as  "hunting 
medicine."  They  also  require  tobacco  and  when  they 
require  it  they  will  tap  their  water  drums  in  their  meeting 
places.  The  observant  then  make  up  little  packages  of 
tobacco  which  they  throw  to  them.  Out  of  gratitude  for 
favors  they  frequently  warn  men  of  danger  or  assist  them 
to  fortune. 

Mischief  Maker,  S'hodi'onsko,  is  a  trickster,  and  some- 
times is  called  the  "brother  of  death."  He  delights  in  play- 
ing practical  jokes,  regardless  of  how  they  result.  He  pos- 
sesses a  store  of  magic  and  is  able  to  transform  himself 
into  many  forms.  It  is  related  in  one  legend  that  in  the 
end  he  repented  and  returned  to  the  sky-world  in  a  column 
of  smoke.  This  appears  however,  to  be  an  allusion  to  the 
Algonkin  trickster. 

Ghostly  Legs,  Ganos'has'ho'o11',  are  beings  composed 
only  of  a  pair  of  legs,  having  a  face  directly  in  front,  though 
the  face  is  seldom  seen.  They  appear  only  in  the  dark  and 
no  one  has  ever  made  a  complete  examination  of  one.  They 
have  no  arms  or  bodies,  but  are  like  the  lower  bodies  of  men, 


FOLK  BEINGS  AND  MAJOR  SPIRITS 


19 


cut  off  at  the  waist,  and  on  either  loin  gleams  a  faintly  glow- 
ing eye.  Some  have  only  one  eye  which  protrudes  and  draws 
in  as  it  observes  an  intended  victim.  The  Ghostly  Legs  are 
always,  or  nearly  always  running  rapidly  when  seen.  They 
usually  betoken  death  and  disaster.  No  one  knows  from 
whence  they  come  or  whither  they  go.  Indians  of  today 
on  some  of  the  reservations  claim  to  have  seen  these  crea- 
tures. While  they  have  never  been  known  to  injure  anyone 
they  are  at  the  same  time  as  greatly  feared  as  ghosts. 

Sagon"dada"kwus,  (Sagodadahkwus)  is  a  grotesque  being 
with  a  lean,  hungry  looking  body,  and  an  insatiable  appetite. 
He  seeks  out  gluttons,  and  catching  them  in  the  dark,  takes 
a  long  spoon  which  he  inserts  into  their  vitals  and  spoons 
out  his  food.  For  fear  anything  may  be  lost  he  carries  a 
kettle  into  which  he  places  everything  he  cannot  immedi- 
ately eat.  He  is  the  spirit  of  gluttony,  and  is  the  terror  of 
all  who  gorge  themselves  unduly.  It  is  well  for  a  man  who 
overeats  to  stay  indoors  at  night,  lest  He-who-eats-inwards 
devour  everything  within  him.  So,  with  his  kettle  and 
spoon,  Sagodadahkwus  wanders  over  the  earth  looking  for 
the  gluttons. 

Gonohk'goes,  the  Big  Breast,  is  a  gigantic  woman  whose 
breasts  hang  down  like  pillows.  She  roams  the  earth  look- 
ing for  lovers  who  sit  close  together  in  the  dark.  If  they 
make  one  remark  that  seems  to  be  improper  in  their  love 
making,  or  if  they  stay  at  their  love  making  too  long,  she 
leans  over  them,  catching  their  faces  beneath  her  breasts 
and  smothering  them.  Then  she  stands  upright,  still  holding 
the  smothered  lovers  to  her  bosom,  and  walking  to  a  cliff, 
leans  over  and  drops  them  into  the  dark  depths  below. 

0"nia'tan,  the  Dry  Hand,  is  a  mysterious  mummified  arm 
that  flies  about  to  bewitch  those  who  pry  into  the  affairs  of 
others  by  asking  too  many  questions.  It  will  thrust  its 
fingers  in  he  eyes  of  the  peeper  who  tries  to  watch  others 
out  of  idle  curiosity.  Generally  the  touch  of  this  hand 
means  death. 


THEMES  AND  MATERIALS 


II. 


THEMES  AND  MATERIALS 

There  are  certain  characteristic  types  of  action  to  be 
found  in  Seneca  folk-tales,  and  these  are  closely  followed 
in  all  tales.  However  rambling  a  tale  may  be  it  never 
departs  from  certain  stereotyped  themes,  expressing  as  they 
do  the  accepted  idea  patterns  over  which  the  story  is  woven. 
Among  these  themes  we  mention  the  following: 

1.  Transformation.  Characters  in  the  story  are  able  to 
transform  themselves  into  any  person,  animal  or  object,  as 
their  orenda  or  magical  power  gives  them  power.  The 
Seneca  believed  in  transformation  to  such  an  extent  that 
he  was  never  sure  that  a  rolling  stone,  a  vagrant  leaf  flut- 
tering along,  a  scolding  bird  or  a  curious  animal,  might  not 
be  some  "powered"  person  in  a  transformation  stage. 

2.  Magically  acquired  pozver.  The  hero  of  a  tale  finds 
himself  in  a  predicament  and  through  his  effort  to  extricate 
himself  is  endowed  with  magical  power  by  which  he  over- 
comes enemies  and  difficulties. 

3.  Overcoming  monsters.  The  journey  of  the  hero  is 
beset  with  magical  monsters  that  seek  to  destroy  him.  The 
hero  uses  his  wits  and  his  orenda  and  subdues  them. 

4.  Precocious  twins.  Twins  are  born  of  a  romantic  mar- 
riage, particularly  where  the  hero  or  heroine  has  lost  a  rela- 
tive. The  twins  rapidly  grow  to  maturity  and  set  forth  to 
conquer. 

5.  Contest  with  sorcerers.  The  hero  is  placed  in  opposi- 
tion to  a  sorcerer  and  matches  his  power  against  him,  finally 
killing  the  sorcerer. 

6.  Son-in-law  put  to  tests.  The  hero  is  allowed  to  retain 
his  place,  possessions  or  mate  providing  he  procures  certain 
magical  objects  for  the  sorcerer.    In  some  stories  an  evil 

23 


24 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


mother-in-law  demands  such  objects  as  the  magical  beaver, 
white  otter,  or  blue  lizzard.  The  hero  obtains  them  very 
quickly  and  sometimes  calls  a  feast  to  eat  them.  The 
mother-in-law  is  angry  because  these  beasts  are  her 
brothers. 

This  is  a  widely  diffused  theme  and  is  found  from  one 
coast  to  another. 

J.  Dream  animal  rescues  hero.  The  hero  finds  himself 
in  a  predicament  and  remembering  that  a  helper  appeared 
to  him  in  a  dream,  calls  upon  it  for  rescue.  A  rescue  is 
made. 

8.  Race  with  monster.  A  monster,  generally  a  monster 
bear,  becomes  enraged  at  or  jealous  of  the  hero.  The 
monster  challenges  the  hero  to  a  race,  the  winner  to  kill 
the  loser.  The  hero  wins,  generally  by  aid  of  some  fetish 
given  by  his  uncle  or  grandfather. 

9.  Boaster  makes  good.  The  hero  boasts  his  power  to 
do  certain  things,  as  to  run  faster  than  any  living  creature. 
He  is  warned  to  stop  before  the  spirits  of  swift-running 
beings  hear  him.  He  continues  to  boast  and  a  monster 
comes  to  the  door  to  make  the  challenge.  See  8,  supra,  for 
a  continuation  of  this  theme. 

10.  Impostcr  fails.  A  jealous  rival  overcomes  the  hero 
and  strips  him  of  his  clothing.  Hero  becomes  weak  and  old 
while  Imposter  becomes  youthful.  Imposter  now  assumes 
the  character  and  rights  of  the  hero.  Finally  he  endeavors 
to  perform  the  magical  tricks  of  the  hero  and  fails  miser- 
ably.1 

11.  Thrown  away  boy.  A  child  is  thrown  away  because 
it  seems  too  small  to  live,  or  it  is  lost  in  a  blood  clot  and 
cast  into  a  hollow  stump.  Thrown-away  lives  and  becomes 
a  powerful  being  that  achieves  wonders. 

12.  Hidden  lodge  child.    A  child  born  with  a  caul  is 


1  Skinner  in  J.  A.  F.  L.  27-29,  cites  this  as  a  central  Algonkin 
theme. 


LITERARY  ELEMENTS  OF  SENECA  FOLK  LORE  25 


concealed  in  a  lodge,  generally  under  an  enclosed  bed.  It 
is  cared  for  by  some  elderly  person,  generally  an  uncle  or 
aunt.  A  normal  brother  endeavors  to  rescue  it,  being  told 
of  its  existance  by  some  magical  being;  or,  the  child  is 
hidden  to  protect  it  from  an  evil  sorcerer  who  wants  to 
steal  it.    Hero  overcomes  sorcerer. 

13.  Double  deceives  sister.  A  youth  lives  in  a  secluded 
cabin  with  his  sister.  The  youth's  double  comes  to  the 
lodge  when  the  hero  is  absent,  endeavoring  to  seduce  the 
sister.  Double  is  repulsed.  Sister  will  not  believe  brother 
has  not  insulted  her.  Brother  finally  makes  a  sudden  return 
from  a  hunting  trip  and  apprehends  the  double,  killing  him.2 

14.  Uncle  and  Nephew.  An  uncle  and  nephew  live 
together  in  a  secluded  lodge.  Uncle  generally  becomes 
jealous  of  youth's  ability  and  desires  the  woman  predestined 
for  the  nephew.  In  other  cases  uncle  assists  nephew  to 
find  lost  parents.  Generally  the  uncle  guards  the  nephew 
and  forbids  him  to  go  in  a  certain  direction.  Nephew  dis- 
obeys orders. 

15.  Evil  step-father.  Step- father  endeavors  to  rid  him- 
self of  an  unpromising  step-son.  Hides  the  boy  in  a  cave 
or  hole  which  he  stones  up.  Boy  is  rescued  and  taught  by 
animals,  and  finally  returns  a  powerful  being  and  confronts 
step-father. 

16.  Witch  mother-in-law.  A  youth  marries  the  daugh- 
ter of  a  witch  who  endeavors  to  cause  his  death  through 
conflict  with  monsters.3 

17.  Animal  foster-parents.  Animals  find  an  abandoned 
boy.  They  discuss  which  one  will  care  for  him.  A  mother 
bear  generally  succeeds  in  securing  him  and  takes  him  to 
a  hollow  tree  where  he  is  protected  and  educated  in  animal 
lore. 

2  Skinner  in  Anthrop.  P.  of  A.  M.  N.  H.  XIII,  528,  cites  this  as 
a  Menomini  theme. 

3  See  6,  supra,  for  continution  of  motif. 


26 


SEXECA  MYTHS  AXD  LEGENDS 


1 8.  Bewitched  parents.  A  boy  finds  that  he  has  no  par- 
ents. Asks  his  uncle  or  grandfather  where  they  are.  Is 
told  that  they  are  under  some  evil  enchantment  and  secured 
in  a  place  beset  with  magical  monsters.  Boy  overcomes 
obstacles  and  rescues  parents. 

19.  Obstacles  produced  magically.  The  hero  is  beset  by 
a  witch  or  monster  and  flees.  Upon  being  pressed  the  hero 
creates  obstacles  by  dropping  a  stone  and  causing  it  to 
become  an  unsurmountable  cliff.  He  casts  pigeon  feathers 
and  conjures  them  into  a  great  flock  that  makes  a  slime  that 
is  impassable,  or  he  finds  "uncles"  who  interpose  barriers 
for  him,  as  webs,  nets,  holes,  pits,  etc.  Hero  finally  escapes 
to  lodge  of  a  waiting  mother-in-law. 

20.  Lover  wins  mate.  Young  man  marries  girl  of  his 
choice  in  spite  of  tricks  of  older  rival  and  enmity  of  sor- 
cerers. This  must  have  been  a  popular  theme  in  a  society 
where  the  old  were  married  to  the  young. 

21.  Jealous  sister-in-law.  Sister-in-law  offended  at 
hero's  choice  seeks  to  harm  bride  or  to  kill  hero. 

22.  Magical  monster  marries  girl.  The  monster  may  be 
the  horned  snake  or  the  Thunderer. 

23.  Thunderer  wars  upon  horned  snake.  The  Thunder 
god  hates  the  horned  serpent  and  fights  it. 

24.  Turtle's  war  party.  Turtle  gathers  a  company  of 
offensive  and  loyal  warriors.  All  are  killed  in  action  save 
turtle  who  begs  not  to  be  placed  in  water  when  captured. 
He  is  thrust  in  river  and  escapes. 

25.  Bungling  Guest.  An  evilly  inclined  trickster  plays 
practical  jokes.  Performs  magical  acts  and  induces  a  guest 
to  imitate.  Success  attends  in  presence  of  Trickster  and 
perhaps  once  in  a  private  rehearsal,  but  miserable  failure 
attends  demonstration  before  others. 

26.  Sorcerer's  Island.  Sorcerer  lures  hero  to  enchanted 
island.  Sorcerer  has  control  of  the  tides  and  currents  of 
water. 


LITERARY  ELEMENTS  OF  SENECA  FOLK  LORE  27 


27.  Restoring  Skeletons.  Hero  finds  bones  of  persons 
slain  by  sorcery.  Commands  them  to  arise  quickly,  "before 
I  kick  over  a  hickory  tree,"  and  skeletons  rise  so  quickly 
that  bones  are  mismated.   Popular  ending  of  stories. 

28.  Vampire  Corpse.  Body  of  dead  sorcerer  revives 
and  procures  hearts  of  living  victims  which  it  eats  at  leisure 
in  its  grave. 

29.  Dream  Demand.  Hero  guesses  the  meaning  of  a 
fabricated  dream  and  satisfies  it,  thereby  thwarting  inten- 
tions of  the  witch  who  pretended  to  dream. 

30.  Sky  Journey.  Brothers  journey  to  rim  of  horizon 
and  seek  to  go  under  it  and  enter  the  sky-world.  All  suc- 
ceed but  one  who  is  so  cautious  that  he  makes  a  late  start. 
Sky  comes  down  and  crushes  him.  His  spirit  speeds  ahead 
and  greets  living  brothers  when  they  arrive.  Regeneration 
by  Master  of  Life. 

STEREOTYPED  OBJECTS  AND 
INCIDENTS 

INCIDENTS. 

1.  Lonely  bark  lodge.  Hero  and  associates  live  in 
secluded  hut. 

2.  Twins  play  in  ground.  Twins  find  an  underground 
world  in  which  they  live  and  play. 

3.  Hero  spies  upon  associate  through  hole  in  his 
blanket.  Discovers  the  secret  of  associate's  power.  Tries 
this  in  associate's  absence. 

4.  Monster  is  shot  in  vulnerable  spot  in  bottom  of  foot 
and  is  killed. 

5.  Hero  in  contest  kills  magical  animal.  He  alone  is 
able  to  pull  out  the  arrow,  thereby  establishing  his  claim 
to  power  or  reward. 


28 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


6.  Hero's  double  buried  in  fireplace  speaks  through  fire 
and  reveals  his  murder  to  his  mother. 

7.  Burning  witch's  head  explode's  sending  forth  cloud 
of  owls. 

8.  Sorcerer  controls  flow  of  waters.  Almost  captures 
hero  fleeing  in  a  canoe  by  drawing  the  current  of  the  water 
toward  himself.   Hero  reverses  current  and  escapes. 

9.  Magical  objects  are  concealed  under  a  bed.  Hero 
dreams  he  wants  them  in  retaliation  for  his  "uncle's"  evil 
desires. 

10.  Pursuing  or  sentinel  monsters  are  pacified  by  gifts 
of  meat. 

11.  Youth  not  yet  able  to  hunt  practices  shooting  at 
an  animal's  paw,  hung  on  lodge  rafter. 

12.  Sorcerers'  hearts  or  livers  are  concealed  in  a  safe 
place  in  their  lodges,  guarded  by  conjured  dogs  or  ducks. 
Hero  finds  hearts  and  destroys  sorcerers. 

13.  Hero  obtains  hearts  of  enemies  and  squeezes  them, 
causing  enemies  to  faint.  He  dashes  them  on  rocks  and 
kills  enemies. 

14.  Hero  conjures  lodge  of  witches  into  flint.  Orders 
it  to  become  red  hot  and  so  destroys  enemies. 

15.  Hero  learns  how  to  jump  through  the  air. 

16.  Hero  reduces  sister  to  miniature  and  places  her  in 
a  conical  arrow  tip,  shooting  her  away  to  safety.  Hero 
follows  by  magic  flight  creating  obstacles  as  he  goes. 

17.  Corn  rains  down  into  empty  bins  of  starving  people. 
Corn  maiden  comes  to  marry  hero  whose  younger  brother 
is  ungrateful  for  food,  casting  it  in  fire  thereby  burning 
Corn  Maiden's  body.    She  departs. 

18.  Powered  man  throws  flint  chips  calling  upon  them 
to  kill  animals. 

19.  Hero  violates  taboo.  Calamity  impends  but  hero 
overcomes. 


LITERARY  ELEMENTS  OF  SENECA  FOLK  LORE  29 


20.  Heroine  kills  pursuing  monster  by  throwing  boiling 
oil  into  its  face. 

21.  Hero  kicks  over  tree  and  causes  skeletons  to  rise 
in  flesh.  Bones  are  mismated  through  haste.  Origin  of 
cripples. 

22.  Hero  or  twin  heroes  walk  into  the  ground  and  dis- 
appear. 

23.  Lonely  bird  sings  for  a  mate.  Various  creatures 
seek  to  comfort  lonely  bird  but  all  are  rejected  until  a  nat- 
ural mate  calls  and  is  found  injured  or  trapped.  Released 
by  lonely  bird  who  flies  away  with  him. 

24.  Animals  talk  to  men.  Some  animal  warns  hero  of 
impending  danger  and  plans  escape. 

OBJECTS. 

1.  Dream  helpers.  These  are  animals  or  persons  that 
have  come  to  the  hero  in  a  dream  and  promised  to  assist 
him  in  times  of  peril. 

2.  Astral  body.  The  hero  has  an  astral  self  that  appears 
in  times  of  great  danger  and  points  out  a  way  of  escape. 

3.  Hollow  log  regeneration.  Hero  who  has  been  abused 
or  conjured  is  regenerated  by  passing  through  a  hollow  log. 

4.  Talking  flute.  The  flute  kept  in  a  "bundle"  talks  to 
hero's  friend  and  informs  him  of  condition,  or  it  tells  hero 
where  he  may  find  game. 

5.  Running  moccasins.  Hero  pursued  takes  off  mocca- 
sins and  orders  them  to  run  ahead  and  make  tracks  that 
baffle  pursuer. 

6.  Magic  Arrow.  An  invincible  arrow  that  kills  what- 
ever it  is  aimed  at.  It  may  be  shot  permiscuously  into  the 
air  and  game  will  return  with  it,  falling  dead  at  hero's  feet. 
No  one  but  hero  can  withdraw  arrow. 

7.  Forbidden  chamber.   A  certain  walled-off  part  of  the 


30 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


lodge  is  forbidden  to  the  hero,  who  in  older  relative's  ab- 
sence explores  it,  causing  anger  of  magical  beings. 

8.  Door-flap  action.  Sorcerer  commands  hero  to  per- 
form dream  demand  by  going  out  of  door  and  consummat- 
ing demand  before  the  door  curtain  flaps  back. 

9.  Magic  fish-line.  Sorcerer  hooks  hero's  fleeing  canoe 
with  a  magical  fish-line.  Hero  burns  off  line  by  emptying 
pipe  upon  it. 

10.  Hero  ties  his  hair  to  earth.  When  hero  suspects  he 
is  in  the  hands  of  a  sorceress  he  ties  a  hair  to  a  root  before 
he  sleeps.  Sorceress  makes  off  with  him  but  cannot  go 
beyond  the  stretching  length  of  the  hair  and  is  compelled 
to  return. 

11.  Lice  hunting.  Sorceress  hunts  lice  in  hero's  head, 
lulling  him  to  sleep. 

12.  Saliva  gives  power.  If  a  powered  being  touches  any 
object  or  weapon  with  his  saliva  it  takes  some  of  his  power. 

13.  Wampum  tears.  Captured  hero  or  heroine  when 
tortured  sheds  wampum  tears  which  enemies  greedily  take. 

14.  Magical  animal  skins.  Hero  or  sorcerer  has  en- 
chanted skins  which  he  can  conjure  to  living  animals.  He 
may  enter  a  skin  and  assume  the  characteristics  of  its  orig- 
inal owner. 

15.  Magic  pouch.  The  pouch  of  animal  skin  holds  the 
hero's  utensils,  tobacco  and  pipe.  It  may  be  conjured  to  a 
living  thing. 

16.  Magic  suit.  A  self-cleaning  suit  that  gives  power  to 
wearer. 

17.  Magic  canoe.  A  canoe  that  has  unusual  speed  and 
may  be  paddled  into  the  air. 

18.  Inexhaustible  kettle.  Hero's  friend  puts  scrapings 
of  corn  or  nut  into  it  and  it  expends  enormously  supplying 
enough  food.  Hero  tries  the  experiment  and  expands  kettle 
too  greatly  bursting  the  lodge. 


LITERARY  ELEMENTS  OF  SENECA  FOLK  LORE  31 


19.  Magical  springs.  Springs  that  have  been  enchanted 
by  sorcerers  are  the  dwelling  places  of  monsters  that  lure 
the  unwary  to  drink.  The  monster  then  drags  in  his  victim 
and  eats  him. 

20.  Enchanted  clearings.  Clearings  guarded  by  mon- 
sters who  prevent  hero  from  visiting  sorcerer  living  in  a 
lodge  within. 

21.  Bark  dagger.  Hero  incapacitated  by  thrust  of  bark 
dagger  piercing  his  back.  Villain  steals  hero's  clothing  and 
impersonates  him.    See  Imposter. 

22.  Sweat  lodge  regeneration.  Hero  recovers  through  a 
sweat  of  bear's  grease.   Lodge  covered  with  a  fat  bear  pelt. 

23.  Powered  finger.  Hero  has  power  to  kill  animals  by 
pointing  his  finger  at  them. 

24.  Animated  finger.  Hero  obtains  a  magic  finger  that 
stands  in  his  palm,  pointing  out  the  location  of  anything  he 
desires. 

25.  Sharpened  legs.  A  character  is  able  to  whittle  his 
legs  to  points  and  use  them  as  spears. 

25.  Borrozved  skin.  Hero  borrows  skin  (coat)  of  deer, 
mole,  or  other  animal,  and  entering  it  moves  about  without 
exciting  suspicion  of  enemy. 

26.  Borrowed  eyes.  Hero  borrows  eyes  of  deer  or  owl 
for  a  blind  uncle  enabling  him  to  recover  his  own  eyes  or 
to  see  for  a  few  moments  a  long  lost  relative,  generally  a 
brother. 

27.  Stolen  eyes.  Sorceresses  rob  young  men  of  their 
eyes. 

28.  Quilt  of  eyes.  Quilt  made  of  winking  eyes  stolen 
from  young  men  who  have  looked  at  the  witches  who  con- 
tinually sew  upon  such  a  quilt. 

29.  Girls  in  box.  Enchanted  girls  hidden  in  a  bark  box 
come  forth  upon  demand  of  conjurer.  The  enchantment  is 
not  of  an  evil  nature. 


32 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


30.  Enchanted  feathers.  These  placed  upon  hero's  hat 
give  him  great  power,  particularly  for  running. 

31.  Enchanted  birds.  Hero  has  enchanted  birds  upon 
his  hat  that  bring  coals  to  light  his  pipe. 

32.  Bark  dolls.  Dolls  are  enchanted  so  that  they  speak 
for  their  maker,  deceiving  evil  pursuer  of  hero. 

33.  Talking  moccasins.  Moccasins  placed  in  lodge  talk 
to  evil  pursuer,  setting  him  or  her  astray. 

34.  Redncable  dog.  A  tiny  dog  that  is  kept  in  a  pouch. 
It  may  be  enlarged  to  a  size  sufficient  to  carry  the  hero  or 
his  fleeing  sister.  Upon  being  patted  with  the  hand  or  magic 
rod  it  becomes  reduced  to  a  size  almost  invisible. 

35.  Talking  skull.  Hero  finds  the  skull  of  his  uncle.  It 
asks  him  for  tobacco  and  then  directs  him  how  to  over- 
come sorcery. 

36.  Flayed  skin.  A  human  skin  is  the  slave  of  sorcerers 
and  guards  their  lodge,  clearing  or  path,  screaming  out  the 
presence  of  intruders.  It  may  be  revived  by  hero  who 
removes  the  enchantment. 

37.  Wampum  eagle.  An  eagle  covered  with  wampum. 
Many  people  shoot  at  this  eagle  trying  to  kill  it.  Only  the 
hero  can  with  his  magic  arrow. 

38.  White  beaver.  A  magical  beaver,  generally  the 
"brother"  of  a  witch,  is  killed  by  hero  who  invites  in  friends 
to  help  eat  the  beast. 

39.  Blue  lizard.  Lives  in  a  magic  spring  and  lures  the 
unwary  to  death  by  pulling  them  into  the  water. 

40.  Flying  heads.  These  are  spirits  of  the  storm  winds. 
They  are  generally  evil  characters  in  stories. 

41.  Pygmies.  There  are  tribes  of  "little  people"  living 
under  ground  or  in  rocky  places.  They  have  valuable 
charms  and  can  be  forced  to  give  them  to  men.  They  have 
a  ceremony  in  which  they  delight.    If  men  beings  perform 


LITERARY  ELEMENTS  OF  SENECA  FOLK  LORE  33 


this  ceremony  favor  is  gained.  They  like  tobacco  and  nail 
parings. 

42.  Buffalo  one-rib.  A  magically  endowed  buffalo  kills 
men.  It  cannot  be  injured  by  arrows  because  it  has  only 
one  rib,  a  bony  plate  protecting  its  entire  body.  Vulnerable 
in  the  bottom  of  one  foot. 

43.  Fast-groining  snake.  A  boy  finds  a  pretty  snake  and 
feeds  it.  It  grows  enormously  and  soon  eats  a  deer.  Game 
is  exhausted  and  snake  goes  after  human  beings. 

44.  White  pebble.  A  white  stone  is  given  magical  power 
and  when  thrown  at  a  magical  monster  hits  and  kills  it. 

45.  Flesh-eating  water.  The  water  of  a  magical  lake 
eats  the  flesh  from  the  bones  of  the  unwary.  Monsters  liv- 
ing in  it  are  immune. 

46.  Sudden  friend.  Hero  in  predicament  sees  a  strange 
person  before  him  who  announces  that  he  is  a  friend  and 
will  help  the  hero  escape.   Tells  hero  what  to  do. 

COMPONENTS  OF  THE  COSMOLOG- 
ICAL  MYTH 

1.  Sky  world.  A  world  above  the  clouds  inhabited  by 
transcendent  beings. 

2.  Celestial  tree.  A  wonderful  tree  in  the  center  of  the 
sky-world. 

3.  Sky  woman.  Falls  through  hole  made  by  uprooted 
sky-tree  and  brings  a  promised  child  with  her. 

4.  Primal  turtle.    Rises  from  sea  to  receive  sky-woman. 

5.  Earth  diver.  Animals  dive  to  secure  earth  for  turtle's 
back. 

6.  World  tree.  Springs  up  from  root  of  sky  tree 
brought  down  by  sky-woman.  Grows  in  the  "middle  of  the 
world."    Flowers  of  light. 


34 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


/.  Female  first  born.  A  daughter  soon  born  to  the  sky 
woman.    Grows  to  quick  maturity. 

8.  Immaculate  conception.  Daughter  conceives  in  mys- 
terious manner. 

9.  Rival  twins.  Twins  born  to  daughter.  Warty,  flint 
hearted  one,  kills  mother  at  birth.  Fair  one,  the  elder, 
watches  her  grave  and  finds  corn,  beans,  squashes,  potatoes 
and  tobacco  springing  from  it.  Elder  twin  is  constructive, 
younger  is  destructive. 

10.  Hoarded  water.  Evil  twin  causes  a  great  frog  to 
drink  all  the  water  of  the  earth.  Good  twin  hits  it  with 
a  stone  causing  it  to  disgorge. 

11.  Father  search.  Good  Minded  twin  searches  for 
father  and  finds  him  on  a  great  mountain  to  east. 

12.  Son  testing.  Good  Minded's  father  tests  him  with 
wind,  water,  fire  and  rock.  Good  Minded  proves  sonship 
and  returns  to  earth  island  with  bags  of  animals. 

13.  Man  making.  Good  Minded  molds  man  from  clay 
after  reflections  seen  in  water. 

14.  Primal  beings  return.  Good  Minded  and  grand- 
mother return  to  sky. 

15.  Evil  banished.  Evil  Minded  placed  in  underground 
cavern. 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  IN  WHICH  THE 
LEGENDS  WERE  TOLD 


III. 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  IN  WHICH  THE 
LEGENDS  WERE  TOLD 

Let  us  journey  backward  into  the  forgotten  yesterday; 
let  us  catch  a  fleeting  glimpse  of  a  little  village  along  the 
creek  of  Doshowey. 

It  is  during  the  closing  year  of  the  Eighteenth  Century. 
The  time  is  in  the  moon  NIsha  (January),  and  the  whole 
earth  is  covered  by  a  thick  blanket  of  heavy  snow. 

There  is  a  deeply  worn  trail  along  the  bank  of  the  creek, 
but  nobody  walks  in  the  trail,  for  it  is  as  deeply  rutted  as 
it  is  deeply  trodden.  It  is  not  now  a  road  but  a  trench 
floored  with  rough  ice  and  carpeted  with  broken  patches  of 
snow.  Along  the  sides  of  the  trail,  over  the  white  way,  are 
supplementary  and  parallel  trails  that  in  places  spread  wide 
with  the  tell-tale  mark  of  snowshoes.  Here  and  there  are 
deep  dents  where  boys  have  wrestled  and  thrown  each  other 
into  the  drifts. 

About  us  are  great  trees.  Back  from  the  creek  are  areas 
covered  with  tall  pines  and  hemlocks ;  toward  the  creek  are 
great  deciduous  trees  looking  gnarled  and  weather-worn. 
In  the  more  open  spaces  are  groves  of  nut  trees,  the  hickory, 
the  butternut  and  the  walnut.  Even  in  the  depth  of  winter 
the  region  is  inviting  and  suggests  happiness  and  oppor- 
tunity. 

We  continue  our  journey  until  we  come  within  sight  of 
a  little  village  of  log  huts  and  bark  lodges.  The  huts  are 
rather  small  and  primitive  looking  and  the  lodges  for  the 
most  part  look  battered  and  smoky.  Here  and  there,  how- 
ever, is  a  log  cabin  more  sumptuous  than  the  rest,  and  there 
are  even  bark  houses  that  look  comfortable.  There  seem 
to  be  no  streets  in  this  village,  for  the  houses  are  set  in 
any  spot,  seemingly,  where  the  builder  chose  to  erect  his 

37 


38 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


dwelling.  Stretching  in  every  direction  are  little  corn- 
fields, stripped  of  their  ears  and  standing  like  ragged  wrecks 
in  the  wind. 

Before  we  reach  the  village  there  is  an  open  space  occu- 
pying a  level  area.  Here  and  there  are  a  score  of  boys  and 
as  many  men  shouting  and  playing  games.  In  an  icy 
trough,  made  by  dragging  a  log  through  the  snow  for  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  or  more,  the  older  boys  are  playing  a 
game  of  snowsnake.  We  find  that  there  are  two  rival 
teams,  each  with  twenty-four  long  flat  pieces  of  polished 
wood  called  "gawasa,"  or  snowsnakes.  The  idea  of  the 
game  seems  to  be  to  find  out  who  can  throw  a  gawasa  the 
greatest  distance. 

There  is  a  great  shout  as  one  contestant  rushes  forward 
holding  his  gawasa  by  the  tip  and  throws  it  with  all  his 
might  into  the  trough.  On  it  speeds  like  a  living  thing, 
gliding  ahead  with  a  slight  side  to  side  movement  like  a 
serpent  springing  forward.  At  the  entrance  of  the  trough 
a  band  of  opponents  is  crying  out  discouraging  remarks, 
while  his  own  cheer  squad  is  shouting  its  confidence  and 
praises.  A  hundred  feet  down  the  trough  an  opponent 
waves  his  feathered  cap  over  the  gawasa  as  it  speeds  by, 
calling  it  "a  fat  woodchuck  that  cannot  run,"  while  just  a 
bit  beyond,  a  friend  also  waves  his  cap  and  shouts  a  cabalistic 
word  of  magic.  Finally  the  gawasa  slows  down  and  stops. 
Two  trail  markers  rush  to  the  spot  and  plunge  colored  sticks 
into  the  snow  to  mark  the  distance  it  has  traveled.  There  is 
a  referee  from  each  team  to  insure  absolute  accuracy.  In 
another  moment  another  gawasa  comes  darting  ahead,  its 
leaden  nose  striking  the  tail  of  the  first,  nosing  under  it 
and  throwing  it  out  of  the  track,  then  speeding  onward  a 
score  of  paces  ahead.  The  trail  markers  rush  forward  with 
other  sticks  and  there  is  a  great  shout  from  the  winning 
side. 

Each  team  keeps  its  gawasa  in  leathern  cases.  A  special 
"snowsnake  doctor"  draws  out  each  as  it  is  wanted  and 


40 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


carefully  wipes  it  with  a  soft  fawn-skin,  then  waxes  or 
oils  the  snake  with  some  secret  compound  designed  to  make 
it  slip  with  less  friction  over  the  icy  path.  These  formulae 
are  great  secrets  and  a  successful  "doctor"  is  in  great 
demand,  and  receives  big  fees. 

We  glance  over  into  the  square  where  boys  are  playing 
a  game  of  javelins  and  hoops.  The  object,  we  soon  dis- 
cover, is  to  pierce  the  hoop  with  the  javelins,  thus  stopping 
its  progress  as  it  rolls  onward  between  the  lines  of  contest- 
ants to  its  goal.  This  is  also  a  popular  game  with  the 
dogs,  especially  the  puppies,  wbo  every  now  and  again  dash 
after  the  hoop,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  team  throwing  it. 
We  hear  the  cry  of  "Sigwah,  ahsteh,  sigwah !"  meaning  get 
out,  go  away,  and  then  hear  the  yelp  of  the  poor  pup  as  it 
is  struck  with  a  javelin,  and  whimpers  away  from  this 
maddened  crowd  of  humans. 

In  another  portion  of  the  field  we  see  a  group  of  large 
girls  playing  football  with  a  small  ball  stuffed  with  deer 
hair.  There  is  a  grand  melee  as  the  two  "centers"  come 
together  and  kick  at  the  ball,  missing  and  striking  each 
other's  shins.  There  is  a  peal  of  laughter  as  each  falls  in 
the  snow  from  the  impact,  and  rolls  over  upon  the  ball 
which  other  eager  players  strive  to  extricate  with  their  feet, 
for  their  hands  must  not  touch  the  ball.  The  game  is  a 
rough-and-tumble  one,  but  no  one  is  injured,  for  the  kick- 
ing feet  that  fly  about  so  nimbly  are  clad  in  soft-nosed 
moccasins. 

We  pass  on  and  leave  this  scene  of  winter  fun  for  a  more 
sober  group  sitting  on  logs  beneath  the  pines  at  the  creek 
bank.  It  is  a  group  of  older  men  waiting  for  the  return 
of  a  hunting  party,  and  we  learn  that  soon  there  is  to  be 
a  great  feast, — in  fact  a  nine-day  celebration  in  which  all 
the  people  will  participate.  Out  on  the  creek  we  also  see 
little  clusters  of  men  fishing  through  the  ice,  and,  judging 
by  the  shouts,  fishing  is  good. 

It  may  be  well  to  pause  here  and  carefully  note  the 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  OF  LEGENDS 


41 


appearance  of  the  men.  It  is  not  difficult  to  see  that  they 
are  Indians.  Their  coppery  red  skins  and  raven  black  hair 
indicate  this.  Moreover,  their  dress  and  language  permits 
no  mistake  in  our  conclusion.  One  man,  more  aged  than 
the  rest,  is  garbed  in  buckskin  from  head  to  foot.  His 
shirt  is  long  and  of  a  beautiful  white  tan.  About  the  neck, 
the  chest,  the  shoulders,  the  sides  and  upon  the  cuffs  there 
is  a  rich  adornment  of  porcupine  quill  embroidery  in  vari- 
ous tasteful  colors, — red,  yellow  and  white  being  predomi- 
nant. The  leggings  are  of  the  same  soft  velvet  tan,  and 
embroidered  at  the  bottoms  in  a  deep  cuff  of  quill  work, 
which  extends  up  the  front  in  a  thin  line.  Just  below  each 
knee  is  a  garter  embroidered  with  a  finer  applique  than  the 
rather  coarse  quill  work.  Close  inspection  shows  it  to  be 
long  hair  from  the  "bell"  of  the  moose.  It  is  so  flexible 
that,  unlike  quill  work,  it  allows  the  garter  to  be  tied 
snugly  without  stiffness.  Beneath  the  shirt,  though  it  hangs 
down  nearly  to  the  knees,  the  edge  of  a  loin  cloth  is  just 
seen.  Looking  down  at  his  feet  you  will  observe  a  pair  of 
beautiful  moccasins.  They  are  of  the  puckered  toe  type, 
with  a  single  seam  up  the  center  of  the  foot,  the  leather 
being  drawn  up  in  neat  puckers  to  conform  to  the  shape  of 
the  foot.  The  flaps  of  the  moccasins  are  also  embroidered 
with  quill  work,  in  a  running  pattern  looking  like  half 
circles  and  above  which  rise  tendril  designs, — looking  like 
the  zodiacal  sign  of  Aries.  It  is  the  old  man's  cap,  however, 
which  interests  us  most.  It  is  not  at  all  like  the  conven- 
tional war-bonnet  which  we  have  seen  in  picture  and  pag- 
eant. Instead  it  is  like  a  closely  fitting  cap  of  fine  fur,  appar- 
ently beaver.  It  has  a  wide  band  about  it,  holding  it  tightly 
to  the  head.  On  the  upper  part  of  this  band  are  close  rows 
of  dangling  silver  cones  that  jingle  against  one  another  as 
the  old  man  moves  his  head.  From  the  center  of  the  hat 
rises  a  spool-like  socket  into  which  is  inserted  a  fine  eagle 
plume,  that  turns  on  a  spindle  within  the  socket.  Around 
the  spool  and  fastened  to  it  are  clusters  of  smaller  feathers 


42 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


that  fluff  over  the  top  of  the  cap  in  gay  abandon.  Across 
the  old  man's  breast  is  a  worsted  belt,  red  in  color,  and 
decorated  with  beads  in  a  most  interesting  fashion.  About 
the  old  man's  waist  is  a  stouter  belt  of  buckskin,  into  which 
is  thrust  a  tomahawk,  and  from  which  dangles  a  pipe-bag. 
Stooping  over,  he  picks  up  a  pair  of  overshoes  made  of 
woven  cornhusk  stuffed  with  pads  of  oiled  rags  and  buffalo 
hair.  Looking  at  the  other  men  you  observe  that  all  have 
on  similar  crude  looking  over-moccasins,  but  that  most  of 
them  are  of  thick  oil-tanned  buckskin  leather,  instead  of 
cornhusk. 

The  old  man  walks  away  toward  the  village  and  we  linger 
a  moment  to  learn  that  his  name  is  Jack  Berry,1  and  that 
he  is  considered  an  old-fashioned  fellow,  but  that  he  com- 
mands great  respect.  We  find,  in  fact,  that  the  village  just 
ahead  is  named  after  him,  "Jack  Berry's  Town,"  and  that 
it  is  one  of  the  eight  villages  of  Indians  scattered  over  the 
Buffalo  Creek  tract. 

It  is  now  late  in  the  afternoon  and  the  sun  is  sinking 
over  the  forest  to  the  west.  Men  and  boys,  and  now  and 
then  a  small  group  of  women,  walk  swiftly  toward  the 
village.  Some  of  the  men  are  bending  low  under  heavy 
loads  of  game,  trussed  up  in  burden-frames.  Several  men 
have  strings  of  fish  and  a  few  men  and  women  have  long 
strings  of  white  corn  upon  their  shoulders. 

Naturally  we  are  hungry  after  our  long  journey  through 
the  brisk  winter  afternoon.  We  are  also  ready  to  sit  down 
by  the  fire  and  dry  our  damp  feet.  Where  shall  we  go, 
who  will  know  us? 

Everybody  seems  to  know  us,  for  everybody  speaks,  say- 
ing, "Nyahweh  skanoh,  Gyahdasey,"  ("I  am  thankful  to 
see  you  strong  of  body,  my  friend.")    We  stop  and  talk 

1  There  is  an  interesting  anecdote  concerning  Major  Jack  Berry 
in  the  first  Annual  Report  of  the  Buffalo  Historical  Society,  page  175. 
Jack  Berry  Town  was  on  the  present  site  of  Gardenville.  He  was 
born  in  Little  Beard  Town  in  the  Genesee  country  and  had  his  home 
on  Squawkie  Hill  until  he  removed  to  the  Buffalo  tract.  He  was  an 
ardent  admirer  of  Red  Jacket. 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  OF  LEGENDS 


43 


with  one  group  after  another  and  tell  them  that  we  are 
strangers,  rather  tired  and  very  hungry.  Everybody  smiles 
and  says,  "Yes,  that's  so,"  but  not  a  soul  invites  us  to  supper 
and  lodging.  Our  guide  smiles  at  us  and  finally  says,  "You 
may  go  to  any  cabin  here,  walk  in  and  sit  down."  You  may 
take  off  your  shoes  and  put  on  any  warm  pair  of  moccasins 
you  find  hanging  on  the  wall,  you  may  pretend  that  you  are 
dumb,  and  say  nothing.  No  one  will  ask  you  a  question, 
but  every  want  that  you  have  will  be  anticipated  and  every 
comfort  of  the  lodge  given  to  you,  though  it  is  the  only  bed 
as  your  couch,  the  only  buffalo  robe  your  cover,  and  your 
food  the  last  bowl  of  soup.  Among  the  Seneca  you  are 
welcome.  No  matter  who  you  are,  you  are  an  honored  guest 
and  welcome  to  any  home  you  chose  to  enter.  It  is  for 
you  to  invite  yourself  to  a  home  and  honor  it  with  your 
presence. 

We  look  about  with  some  concern,  for  most  of  the  houses 
are  small  and  look  overcrowded.  Finally,  since  we  are  in 
search  of  knowledge,  as  well  as  amusement  and  adventure, 
we  choose  a  very  commodious  bark  long-house,  from  whose 
roof  we  see  six  fires  sending  up  columns  of  black  smoke. 
This  place  looks  as  if  it  might  afford  us  company  enough 
to  satisfy  our  social  inclinations  and  room  enough  to  stow 
us  away  for  the  night.  If  we  hesitated  a  moment  we  were 
soon  convinced  of  our  good  judgment  by  the  tempting 
odors  of  steaming  maize  puddings  and  hull-corn  hominy, 
together  with  the  appetizing  smell  of  venison  roasting  over 
hot  stones. 

We  pause  at  the  entry  of  the  lodge  and  note  the  wooden 
effigy  of  a  bear's  head  hanging  in  the  gable  of  the  building. 
This  is  a  symbol  that  clansfolk  of  the  Bear  dwell  within 
and  that  all  "Bears"  are  welcome.  However,  as  we  know 
that  neither  Turtles  nor  Hawks,  nor  any  other  clansman 
or  stranger  will  be  denied  admission,  we  push  aside  the 
buffalo  robe  that  curtains  the  doorway  and  enter. 

Before  us  is  a  vast  hall  some  twenty-four  feet  wide  and 


44 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


eighty  feet  long.  On  either  side  are  low  platforms,  scarcely 
more  than  knee  high  from  the  earthen  floor.  Above  are 
other  platforms,  but  these  are  six  or  seven  feet  above  and 
form  a  roof  over  the  lower  platforms.  On  the  latter  we 
see  people  lounging,  sitting  or  reclining,  as  suits  their 
inclination. 

An  elderly  woman  comes  forward  and  greets  us,  and  as 
she  does  so,  several  men  also  come  forward.  Some,  dressed 
in  trader's  cloth  clothing  grasp  our  hands  in  welcome,  while 
an  old  man,  evidently  a  relic  of  an  older  day,  places  his 
hands  on  our  chests  and  says,  "Strength  be  within  you." 
This  we  learn  is  the  old  Indian  way  of  greeting,  in  the  days 
before  hand-shaking  came  into  vogue. 

Some  one  points  out  an  unoccupied  seat  filled  with  robes 
and  we  are  invited  to  place  our  luggage  on  the  platform 
above.  From  a  long  pole,  hanging  from  the  beams  that 
form  the  roof  supports,  hang  braids  of  corn,  forming  a 
curtain  that  nearly  makes  our  loft  inaccessible.  As  we  push 
our  pack  basket  well  toward  the  center  of  the  platform  we 
hear  a  squeal,  and  a  seven-year-old  boy  who  has  been  sleep- 
ing there  on  a  pile  of  pelts  darts  over  the  corn  pole  and 
swings  himself  to  the  floor. 

The  whole  building  is  replete  with  stores  of  food,  and 
besides  the  corn,  we  see  large  quantities  of  smoked  meat, 
dried  fish,  dried  pumpkins  and  squashes  and  dried  herbs  of 
various  kinds.  The  center  of  the  lodge  is  a  broad  aisle  and 
at  every  eight  paces  there  is  a  fire-place  on  the  floor,  the 
smoke  from  which  rises  to  the  roof  and  escapes  through 
large  rectangular  holes  made  by  leaving  off  the  bark  roofing. 

We  join  a  group  of  men  and  learn  from  their  conversa- 
tion that  they  are  discussing  the  great  war  of  the  white 
men,  in  which  the  Thirteen  Fires  overcame  the  British 
King.  Alas,  these  Indians  had  fought  for  the  King  and  as 
a  punishment  a  mighty  general  had  come  against  them  with 
a  cannon,  burning  their  villages  on  the  Genesee  and  send- 
ing them  terror-stricken  to  their  red-coated  allies  at  Fort 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  OF  LEGENDS 


45 


Niagara.  Here  they  had  endured  a  terrible  winter  of  priv- 
ation during  which  time  hundreds  died  of  disease,  starva- 
tion and  freezing.  The  British  King  had  not  done  well  by 
them  and  his  agents  had  deceived  them.  It  was  Town 
Destroyer  (Washington)  who  was  their  real  friend,  for  it 
was  he  who  said  they  might  remain  in  their  ancient  seats. 
So  here  they  were  on  Buffalo  Creek,  in  the  land  of  the 
Wenroe  and  the  Neutral,  peoples  whom  they  had  conquered 
a  century  and  a  half  ago.  Here  was  their  refuge,  but  the 
contrast  between  this  and  their  former  secure  position  on 
the  Genesee  had  disheartened  them.  The  war  and  the  flight 
had  disorganized  them,  their  old  ideals  had  been  broken, 
and  the  only  safety  seemed  to  be  to  avoid  the  white  man. 
He  brought  all  this  trouble  and  his  traders  brought  the  fire 
water  that  made  the  young  men  crazy.  He  had  brought  a 
new  religion  too,  and  many  of  the  villagers  of  the  Buffalo 
tract  had  been  converted  to  it  and  were  trying  to  live  in 
accordance  with  its  teachings.  Some  of  the  men  thought 
that  this  spoke  the  doom  of  the  Indian  race,  while  others 
thought  it  would  be  better  to  offset  this  movement  by 
embracing  the  religion  of  Handsome  Lake,  a  sachem  from 
Allegany  who  was  now  preaching  temperance  and  morality 
among  the  Indians  at  Allegany.  Most  of  the  men,  however, 
thought  that  it  was  best  to  avoid  all  new  schemes  and  phil- 
osophies. "The  old  way  is  the  best,"  we  hear  them  say. 
"In  the  old  way  we  know  just  where  we  stand.  We  are 
familiar  with  the  methods  of  the  old  way :  the  new  way 
has  not  been  tried." 

Then  someone  says,  "Jack  Berry  is  going  to  go  over  to 
Handsome  Lake.  Maybe  this  is  the  right  way.  He  is  an 
intelligent  man  and  his  father  was  a  white  man,  though  he 
is  more  Indian  than  any  of  us  in  his  manners  and  speech." 

Long  the  discussion  goes  on,  and  embraces  one  topic  after 
another.  There  is  nothing  to  do  but  to  talk  and  this  soon 
grows  tiresome,  for  the  same  old  topics  are  worn  thread- 
bare.   Brains  that  are  hungry  for  new  ideas  and  for  facts 


46 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


find  no  food.  The  mental  life  of  the  people,  we  quickly  dis- 
cover, is  circumscribed.  The  people  crave  stimulation;  of 
physical  stimulation  they  have  plenty,  but  of  mental  stimu- 
lation there  is  little  indeed.  This  is  one  of  the  reasons  why 
in  the  old  days  the  men  went  on  long  tedious  hunts,  sought 
adventure,  went  on  war  parties,  and  played  the  game  of 
death.  "Better  to  die  in  the  hurricane  like  a  young  oak  that 
has  been  broken  in  the  gale,"  said  they,  "than  to  die  because 
rot  has  set  in  and  eaten  up  the  heart." 

Here  among  the  discouraged  and  broken  people  of  the 
Buffalo  tract,  bitterness  gnawed  at  every  heart,  and  there 
was  a  sense  of  having  been  overwhelmed  by  some  irresist- 
ible force.  The  people  craved  amusement,  excitement,  and 
the  stimulation  of  the  imagination.  It  was  because  of  the 
lack  of  healthful  means  to  procure  these  things  that  the 
men  gambled  so  much,  and  drank  the  traders'  rum. 

The  evening  meal  is  now  ready  and  we  find  that  the 
matron  of  our  fire  is  dipping  our  hull-corn  hominy.  Every- 
body grabs  a  bark  dish  and  some  take  out  neatly  carved 
wooden  bowls.  These  are  filled  with  the  hominy  and  the 
group  begins  to  eat,  dipping  the  steaming  corn  with  wooden 
spoons  of  large  size.  Now  comes  the  meat  portion,  and 
each  person  is  given  from  one  to  three  pounds  of  roasted 
venison.  This  we  eat  with  boiled  corn  bread,  dipping  the 
bread  into  a  bowl  of  grease  that  is  passed  about  among  us. 
We  have  no  forks,  and  the  only  thing  that  resembles  one 
is  a  sharpened  splinter  of  bone.  We  have  our  knives,  how- 
ever, and  the  meat  is  cut  by  holding  it  with  the  hands.  If 
our  greasy  fingers  bother  us  we  have  a  box  of  corn  husks 
upon  which  to  wipe  them.  We  then  cast  our  "napkins"  into 
the  fire.  At  the  close  of  the  meal  we  receive  bowls  of 
"onegadaiyeh,"  or  hot  fluid,  which  we  find  to  be  a  fragrant 
tea  made  from  the  tips  of  hemlock  boughs  mixed  with  a 
dash  of  sassafras.  Those  who  do  not  like  this  drink  are 
given  wintergreen  "tea"  sweetened  with  maple  sugar.  As 
we  drink  our  tea  a  bright-eyed  maiden  brings  us  a  bark  tray 


48 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


with  generous  slices  of  sugar-nut  bread,  made  by  molding 
white  corn  flour  with  pulverized  maple  sugar  into  which  is 
mixed  hickory  and  hazel-nut  meats,  the  whole  being  molded 
into  a  cake  held  into  shape  by  husks,  and  then  boiled  until 
done.   Everyone  exclaims,  "Oguhoh,"  meaning  "Delicious." 

The  house  is  full  of  men,  women  and  children.  To  each 
child  there  is  a  dog, — and  a  mighty  well-behaved  dog. 
Though  they  sit  on  their  haunches  looking  hungry  indeed, 
not  one  ventures  near  the  mat  or  bench  where  the  food  is 
placed.  Patiently  they  await  a  scrap  of  meat  or  a  bone  as 
it  is  thrown  to  them. 

One  is  impressed  with  the  various  costumes  of  the  throng. 
Some  are  dressed  in  military  coats,  some  wear  red  flannel 
shirts  made  in  coat  style,  with  the  flaps  worn  outside,  some 
wear  leather  leggings,  and  some  have  cloth  or  buckskin 
trousers.  Some  of  the  women,  as  well  as  the  men,  wear 
tall  beaver  hats  with  silver  bands  around  them.  Everybody 
wears  a  blanket.  Some  are  red,  some  are  green  or  yellow, 
but  nearly  all  wear  gray  or  blue  blankets.  The  women  have 
especially  fine  blankets  of  blue  broadcloth,  beautifully 
beaded  in  floral  patterns  at  the  corners,  and  having  geomet- 
rical designs  around  the  borders.  Only  a  few  of  the  men 
wear  boots,  the  majority  wearing  the  ancestral  moccasin. 
The  skirts  of  the  women  are  of  broadcloth,  beaded  like  the 
blankets,  though  several  of  the  matrons  have  skirts  of  buck- 
skin. The  women  wear  pantalets,  with  beaded  or  quilled 
bottoms.  They  also  wear  small  head  shawls,  and  their  hair 
is  neatly  braided.  The  maidens  wear  two  braids,  but  the 
married  women  wear  one,  looped  up  behind  and  tied  with 
a  ribbon  or  a  quilled  strip  of  soft  doeskin. 

The  house  looks  gloomy  inside,  for  it  is  rather  smoky, 
but  the  liveliness  of  the  children  and  the  puppies  makes  up 
for  the  darkened  interior.  If  one  does  not  wish  to  be 
walked  over  he  had  better  crawl  up  on  his  bed  and  make 
himself  comfortable  in  a  buffalo  robe.  At  best  the  lodge 
only  "shuts  out  the  wind,  and  the  fires  add  but  little  warmth. 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  OF  LEGENDS 


49 


With  the  abundance  of  fresh  air  one  does  not  feel  oppressed 
by  the  numerous  people  on  every  hand.  No  one  in  this 
dwelling  has  that  unhappy  disease  that  infects  the  dwellers 
in  the  tight  and  warm  log  houses, — -the  disease  that  eats 
the  lungs  and  makes  people  fade  away  like  ghosts  of  their 
real  selves.  The  abundance  of  fresh  air  and  the  creosote 
from  the  smoke,  together  with  exercise  out  of  doors  in  the 
sunshine,  makes  these  dwellers  in  the  long  bark  house  lively 
and  healthy. 

Again  the  men  fall  into  groups  about  the  fire,  and  again 
they  talk  of  the  events  about  them.  One  tells  of  a  British 
agent  who  wants  the  Indians  to  come  over  to  Canada  and 
dwell  with  their  brethren  who  followed  Chief  Brant  to  the 
Grand  River  after  the  war.  A  Mohawk  Sachem  had  been 
with  the  British  agent  and  had  confirmed  his  description  of 
the  beautiful  land  on  the  other  side  of  the  Niagara,  where 
the  Iroquois  Confederacy  might  once  more  rise  from  its 
ashes  and  become  a  great  power.  They  had  found  but 
few  followers,  however,  for  the  Buffalo  Seneca  were  loyal 
to  the  memory  of  Washington,  the  great  White  Father,  who 
just  a  month  ago  had  died.  "We  are  now  the  children  of 
Town  Destroyer,"  the  British  agent  had  been  told.  "We 
shall  abide  here  where  our  fathers  fought.  This  is  their 
land  and  though  we  have  been  hurt  in  this  conflict  we  will 
not  run  away,  like  dogs  whipped,  and  who  scamper  whim- 
pering to  a  hollow  log.  We  shall  stay  here  and  be  men." 
It  was  in  vain  that  the  agent  had  appealed  to  their  natural 
desire  for  revenge. 

As  the  night  grows  darker,  a  shout  is  heard  outside  and 
all  the  children  run  to  the  door.  "Dajoh,  dajoh!"  they 
exclaim,  and  rushing  out  surround  a  tall  man  of  middle  age, 
one  taking  his  hand  and  leading  him  in.  We  can  hear  the 
shout  of  "Hoskwisaonh,  the  story  teller, — the  story  teller 
has  come !" 

He  is  a  jovial-looking  fellow,  this  story  teller,  and  his 
entrance  to  the  lodge  puts  the  young  people  in  a  state  of 


so 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


suppressed  excitement.  Even  the  older  people  are  pleas- 
antly disposed  toward  him,  and  one  matron  draws  forth 
a  bench  which  she  sets  before  the  central  fire.  Several  corn- 
husk  mats  are  then  placed  around  on  the  floor  and  the  com- 
pany draws  into  a  circle,  at  least  such  a  circle  as  the  building 
will  permit. 

The  story  teller  wears  a  long  white  flannel  toga,  or  over- 
shirt  bound  with  blue  ribbon.  It  is  embroidered  richly  with 
colored  moose  hair.  His  gustoweh  or  cap  is  of  soft  doeskin 
quilled  in  herringbone  patterns,  and  the  feathers  that  droop 
from  the  crest  spindle  are  the  white  down  feathers  of  the 
heron.  The  spinning  feather  at  the  tip  is  from  the  tail  of 
a  young  eagle  and  from  its  tip  rises  a  little  tassel  of  red 
moose  hair  held  on  by  a  bit  of  fish  glue.  He  has  two  bags, 
one  containing  his  pipe  and  tobacco,  and  the  other  filled  with 
mysterious  lumps.  Just  what  these  are  everyone  waits 
patiently  to  see,  for  they  are  the  trophies  that  "remind"  him 
of  his  stories, — bear  teeth,  shells,  bark  dolls,  strings  of 
wampum,  bunches  of  feathers,  bits  of  bark  with  hieroglyphs 
upon  them,  and  the  claws  of  animals. 

He  takes  his  seat  and  after  smoking  a  pipeful  of  sacred 
tobacco  throws  some  of  this  fragrant  herb  upon  the  fire,  at 
the  same  time  saying  a  ritualistic  prayer  to  the  unseen 
powers,  about  whom  he  is  soon  to  discourse.  Finally  he 
exclaims,  "Hauh,  oneh  djadaondyus,"  and  all  the  people 
respond,  "Hauh  oneh !"  He  plunges  his  hand  into  his  mys- 
tery bag  and  draws  forth  a  bear's  tusk.  "Hoh !"  he  says. 
"The  bear!  This  is  a  tale  of  nyagwai".  Do  you  all  now 
listen !"  And  then  comes  the  story  of  the  orphaned  boy 
who  lived  with  his  wicked  uncle  and  how  he  was  rescued 
from  burial  in  a  fox  hole  and  cared  for  by  a  mother  bear. 
Another  trinket  comes  forth,  and  again  another,  as  a  new 
tale  unfolds.  When  the  night  has  grown  old,  and  the 
youngsters  show  signs  of  weariness  by  falling  asleep,  the 
story  teller  closes  his  bag,  carefully  ties  it  and  then  starts 
to  smoke  again. 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  OF  LEGENDS 


51 


The  listeners  have  been  thrilled  by  his  dramatic  recita- 
tion, they  have  been  moved  to  uproarious  laughter  or  made 
to  shudder  with  awe.  They  have  been  profoundly  stirred 
and  their  eyes  glisten  with  pleasurable  excitement.  Every- 
one files  past  the  story  teller  with  a  small  gift, — a  brooch, 
a  carved  nut,  a  small  bag  of  tobacco  or  a  strand  of  sinew 
for  thread.  No  gift  is  large  and  most  gifts  are  pinches  of 
native  tobacco.  The  story  teller  then  finds  a  comfortable 
bed. 

The  children  climb  into  their  lofts  by  aid  of  notched  lad- 
ders, the  old  people  repair  to  their  compartments,  pull  down 
the  robe  curtains,  and  soon  all  but  a  watcher  or  two  are 
asleep,  dreaming  of  the  folk-beasts  and  the  heroes  of  the 
story  teller's  tales.  The  more  imaginative  continue  the  ad- 
ventures that  have  been  told,  and  journey  into  dreamland 
to  meet  the  myth-beings  and  learn  of  the  mysteries  that 
only  slumberland  can  reveal. 

Such  is  the  setting  of  the  story  teller  and  the  atmosphere 
in  which  the  legends  of  the  Seneca  were  told,  in  the  days  of 
early  Buffalo.  These  old-time  tales  can  scarcely  be  appre- 
ciated unless  one  knows  and  feels  the  circumstances  under 
which  they  were  related.  Then,  too,  we  may  dream  as  the 
Seneca  dreamed  and  know  why  he  loved  the  story  teller. 

In  the  morning  we  are  awakened  by  the  noise  of  the  corn 
pounders.  "Ka-doom,  ka-doom,  ka-doom !"  they  sound  as 
the  pestle  strikes  the  corn  in  the  mortar  and  crushes  it 
into  hominy  or  meal,  as  the  case  may  be.  Children  then 
begin  to  tumble  out  of  bed  and  run  about  the  lodge,  but 
most  of  them  are  sent  back  to  their  warm  robes  until  the 
morning  meal  has  been  prepared. 

As  we  open  our  eyes  we  see  little  light,  for  we  are  within 
one  of  the  bed  compartments,  over  the  front  of  which 
hangs  long  buffalo  robe  curtains,  shutting  out  the  light  and 
securing  us  from  the  sight  of  others.  The  head  and  the 
foot  of  our  sleeping  quarters  likewise  are  partitioned  off 


52 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


by  screens  of  bark,  strengthened  by  upright  poles.  At  our 
feet  are  little  cupboards  where  we  have  stored  our  clothing 
and  valuables.  Over  our  heads  hang  uncertain  bundles, 
attached  to  the  parallel  poles  that  form  the  platform  above 
us.  These  contain  the  treasures  and  personal  possessions 
of  our  host,  whose  bed  we  occupy.  As  we  dress  and  emerge 
from  our  compartment,  we  feel  the  cool  air  of  the  great 
hallway  and  smell  the  smoke  of  the  lodge  fires.  We  look 
at  the  underside  of  the  bed  and  find  it  walled  up  by  bark 
over  a  layer  of  parallel  poles.  Beneath  this  bed  are  the 
greater  treasures  of  our  host,  treasures  that  no  one  may 
touch  or  see  save  himself.  He  reaches  them  by  lifting  up 
the  floor  of  the  bed,  a  floor  made  of  slats  laced  together.  No 
person,  not  the  owner  of  the  compartment,  would  ever  dare 
pry  beneath  that  bed.  It  is  a  crime  as  black  as  calumny 
and  worse  than  murder,  for  it  is  a  violation  of  fundamental 
laws.  As  the  women  come  from  their  compartments,  and 
throw  back  their  curtains  upon  the  platform  above,  we 
catch  a  glimpse  of  "bed  rooms"  neatly  kept  and  hung  with 
furs  and  pelts.  Some  are  embroidered  and  some  are  painted 
with  signs  and  symbols.  We  note  also  their  neat  bundles 
and  quilled  bark  boxes  at  the  foot  of  the  bed  or  over  their 
heads.  We  long  to  pry  into  these  secrets  and  to  discover 
just  what  is  in  this  mysterious  boudoir,  but  modesty  forbids 
anything  more  than  a  fleeting  glance.  Each  compartment 
is  its  occupant's  "castle"  and  must  not  be  violated  by  so 
much  as  a  curious  look. 

As  we  make  ready  for  a  bit  of  corn  bread  and  a  large 
bowl  of  soup,  the  liquor  in  which  the  bread  has  been  boiled, 
we  note  the  ascending  smoke  from  the  fireplaces  on  the 
earthen  floor.  The  drafts  are  regulated  by  opening  one 
door-flap  or  the  other.  The  great  ridgepole  and  the  rafters 
of  the  lodge  are  black  with  soot.  The  roof  is  pitched,  and 
the  gable  is  made  by  a  pole  placed  above  and  resting  upon 
the  plate-poles,  across  the  front  and  rear  of  the  building. 
These  support  the  inner  ridge  pole  upon  which  rests  the 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  OF  LEGENDS 


53 


tops  of  the  roof  supports  or  rafters.  These  are  stiffened 
by  inner  poles  that  run  parallel  with  the  ridge  pole  and  rest 
upon  the  end  gable  rafters.  All  are  tied  in  place  with  ropes 
of  bark  or  fastened  with  pegs,  some  of  them  spikes  of  deer 
antler.  On  either  side  of  the  door  are  the  major  roof  sup- 
ports which  being  securely  driven  in  the  ground  rise  to  the 
gable  rafter,  giving  a  stronger  support  than  could  possibly 
be  given  by  a  central  post.  The  building  is  absolutely  rigid. 
The  triple  plaiting  with  bark,  most  of  it  elm,  placed  the  long 
way  of  the  grain,  instead  of  up  and  down,  makes  the  build- 
ing wind-proof  and  comfortable  enough  to  people  inured 
to  the  weather. 

We  note  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  the  long  rows  of 
corn  placed  along  the  roof  poles  that  rest  just  above  the 
edge  of  the  upper  platforms.  These  braids  of  corn  form 
curtains  that  screen  off  the  upper  platforms  except  in  places 
where  there  are  small  openings  into  which  the  lodge  matrons 
may  thrust  their  possessions.  It  is  there  that  they  keep  their 
bowls  of  bark  and  wood,  also  stores  of  dried  food.  We  are 
told  that  there  are  barrels  of  bark  up  there  filled  with  dried 
and  smoked  meats  of  various  kinds,  also  stores  of  vegetable 
foods  and  herbs. 

The  shed  of  the  house  interests  us  greatly.  It  is  an  entry 
way  attached  to  the  lodge  and  has  a  slightly  sloping  roof. 
It  is  large  and  roomy  and  here  on  one  side  is  piled  a  great 
quantity  of  wood  and  on  the  other  are  boxes  and  barrels 
of  shelled  corn. 

We  are  impressed  by  the  neatness  of  everything  and  by 
the  compact  manner  in  which  food  and  clothing  is  stowed 
away.  Of  course,  in  a  modern  sense,  the  things  we  see 
are  not  clean,  by  any  means,  for  dust  and  soot  cover  every- 
thing not  within  arm's  reach.  The  place  reeks  of  smoke, 
but  we  have  grown  so  accustomed  to  this  that  we  scarcely 
notice  it,  save  when  the  wind  changes  direction  and  the 
smoke  fills  our  eyes. 

Around  the  fires  are  mats  woven  of  corn  husk,  over  a 


54 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


warp  of  twisted  elm  bark  fiber.  Upon  these  we  sit  as  we 
are  given  wooden  bowls  which  are  filled  with  soup.  The 
big  ladle  which  we  see  used  to  dispense  our  portion  holds 
a  bowlful.  It  is  carved  from  curly  maple  and  has  a  dove 
carved  on  the  upper  part  of  the  handle.  Our  smaller  spoons 
are  carved  in  a  similar  manner  but  they  hold  only  a  white 
man's  half  cupful.  There  is  nothing  formal  or  full  about 
this  breakfast  and  we  note  the  frugality  of  the  people.  The 
second  meal  will  be  the  hearty  one. 

As  we  sit  on  the  mat  before  the  fire  we  note  how  con- 
servative some  of  the  older  people  are.  One  or  two  have 
bowls  or  pots  of  baked  clay,  rare  relics  of  the  earlier  day 
before  the  white  man's  brass  kettles  made  the  fragile  clay 
pot  an  obsolete  thing.  We  note  that  one  pot  has  a  serrated 
rim  which  flares  out,  while  the  other  has  a  tall  collar  decor- 
ated with  parallel  lines  arranged  in  triangular  plats.  Very 
gently  do  these  old  folk  handle  their  clay  pots  which  they 
call  "gadjeD".  Several  of  the  old  men  take  from  their 
pouches  ancient  clay  pipes,  relics  of  the  days  when  they 
lived  beyond  the  Genesee.  These  are  molded  with  bowls 
in  the  shape  of  raccoons  and  have  copper  eyes.  The  stems 
are  rather  short,  not  more  than  eight  inches,  and  the  pipe  is 
not  held  in  the  mouth  continually  but  lifted  to  the  lips  to 
allow  an  inhalation,  and  then  taken  down.  These  relics  we 
learn  are  sacred  things  and  are  to  be  buried  with  the  old 
men  when  they  die. 

Breakfast  is  over  and  there  is  little  for  the  men  to  do. 
Their  autumnal  hunt  has  filled  the  larder  with  game.  There 
is  plenty  of  corn,  and  the  younger  men  supply  the  fresh 
meat  and  fish  needed.  Winter  is  a  time  when  everyone 
clings  to  the  hearth  fire,  save  upon  ceremonial  occasion,  or 
for  the  usual  winter  sports.  But  even  these  become  tire- 
some, and  the  minds  of  the  people  crave  stimulation.  Even 
the  gambling  games  do  not  supply  the  right  sort  of  awaken- 
ing. The  minds  of  the  people  are  hungry  and  demand  a 
feeding  even  upon  husks.    They  demand  that  their  imag- 


THE  ATMOSPHERE  OF  LEGENDS 


55 


inations  be  kindled  and  that  from  sordid  life  they  be  lifted 
to  the  fairylands  of  pure  imagination.  The  story  teller  who 
can  lift  the  individual  out  of  self  and  transport  him  to  the 
land  of  magic,  where  he  may  picture  himself  a  super-man 
performing  mighty  feats,  is  in  great  demand.  Absurdity 
counts  for  nothing;  what  though  the  myth  or  legend  is 
impossible. — this  does  not  matter.  It  gives  the  hungry  mind 
and  yearning  soul  wings  upon  which  it  may  fly  away  from 
a  real  earth  to  the  land  of  "I-wish-I-could."  In  a  world 
where  reliable  facts  are  few  and  where  critical  investigation 
is  impossible,  the  imagination  must  be  fed.  The  story  teller 
of  the  lodge  supplies  that  food.  He  is  the  storehouse  of 
all  knowledge,  the  repository  of  ancestral  lore.  To  the 
untutored  mind  of  the  aborigine  he  supplies  what  is  almost 
as  necessary  as  food  itself,  for  while  man  is  a  combination 
of  body  and  mind,  mind  must  have  its  sustenance  no  less 
than  body ;  it  must  have  its  sweets  and  its  stimulants  no 
less  than  the  physical  nature.  And  so  the  story  teller  weaves 
the  spell,  with  all  his  rhetoric  and  oratory, — and  hungry 
minds  gather  round  to  feast  

Time  goes  by  and  the  world  has  changed.  There  is  a 
different  order  of  things.  The  power  of  the  Seneca  has 
gone,  and  the  pale  invader  has  taken  over  all  the  land,  save 
tiny  areas  in  out-of-the-way  places.  Still  the  Seneca  has 
not  relinquished  his  hold  entirely ;  in  various  bands  he  still 
lives  in  tribal  estate.  But  how  different  is  the  Seneca  today ! 
His  life  is  that  of  the  surrounding  white  man,  in  an  eco- 
nomic sense.  Little  remains  to  distinguish  him  as  of  an- 
other cultural  order,  but  there  is  still  enough  to  mark  him 
as  aboriginal.  He  still  preserves  his  rites  and  ceremonies, 
and  on  the  reservations  at  Cattaraugus,  Allegany  and  Tona- 
wanda  he  still  tells  the  folk-tales  that  his  ancestors  loved, 
and  these  remain  unaltered  to  this  very  day. 


WHEN  THE  WORLD  WAS  NEW 


DELOS  BIG  KITTLE — SAINOWA. 

A  leading  chief  of  the  Wolf  Clan  of  the  Cattaraugus  Seneca.  Chief 
Kittle  was  a  man  of  great  influence  and  numbered  many  de- 
voted friends  among  the  citizens  of  Buffalo  and  vicinity.  He 
died  in  the  Buffalo  City  Hospital,  Dec.  30,  1923. 

Photo  by  E.  C.  Winnegar. 


IV. 


1.   HOW  THE  WORLD  BEGAN 

Beyond  the  dome  we  call  the  sky  there  is  another  world. 
There  in  the  most  ancient  of  times  was  a  fair  country  where 
lived  the  great  chief  of  the  up-above-world  and  his  people, 
the  celestial  beings.  This  chief  had  a  wife  who  was  very 
aged  in  body,  having  survived  many  seasons. 

In  that  upper  world  there  were  many  things  of  which 
men  of  today  know  nothing.  This  world  floated  like  a  great 
cloud  and  journeyed  where  the  great  chief  wished  it  to  go. 
The  crust  of  that  world  was  not  thick,  but  none  of  these 
men  beings  knew  what  was  under  the  crust. 

In  the  center  of  that  world  there  grew  a  great  tree  which 
bore  flowers  and  fruits  and  all  the  people  lived  from  the 
fruits  of  the  tree  and  were  satisfied.  Now,  moreover,  the 
tree  bore  a  great  blossom  at  its  top,  and  it  was  luminous 
and  lighted  the  world  above,  and  wonderful  perfume  filled 
the  air  which  the  people  breathed.  The  rarest  perfume  of 
all  was  that  which  resembled  the  smoke  of  sacred  tobacco 
and  this  was  the  incense  greatly  loved  by  the  great  chief.  It 
grew  from  the  leaves  that  sprouted  from  the  roots  of  the 
tree. 

The  roots  of  the  tree  were  white  and  ran  in  four  direc- 
tions. Far  through  the  earth  they  ran,  giving  firm  support 
to  the  tree.  Around  this  tree  the  people  gathered  daily,  for 
here  the  Great  Chief  had  his  lodge  where  he  dwelt.  Now, 
in  a  dream  he  was  given  a  desire  to  take  as  his  wife  a  cer- 
tain maiden  who  was  very  fair  to  look  upon.1    So,  he  took 


1  In  another  version  this  chief  was  killed  and  his  body  hidden  in 
the  trunk  of  the  celestial  tree.  Another  chief,  a  rival,  desired  to  marry 
the  daughter  of  the  deceased  one  and  indeed  took  her  in  the  manner 
here  related.  In  this  version  it  was  the  bride  who  desired  to  have 
the  tree  uprooted  in  order  that  she  might  hunt  for  her  father's  body. 
The  concealing  of  the  body  of  the  celestial  father  in  the  body  of  a 
tree  reminds  one  of  the  legend  of  Osiris. 

59 


60 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


her  as  his  wife  for  when  he  had  embraced  her  he  found  her 
most  pleasing.  When  he  had  eaten  the  marriage  bread  he 
took  her  to  his  lodge,  and  to  his  surprise  found  that  she  was 
with  child.  This  caused  him  great  anger  and  he  felt  him- 
self deceived,  but  the  woman  loved  the  child,  which  had 
been  conceived  by  the  potent  breath  of  her  lover  when  he 
had  embraced  her.  He  was  greatly  distressed,  for  this  fair 
Awen'ha'i*  was  of  the  noblest  family.  It  is  she  who  is  cus- 
tomarily called  Iagen"tci'. 

He,  the  Ancient  One,  fell  into  a  troubled  sleep  and  a 
dream  commanded  him  to  have  the  celestial  tree  uprooted 
as  a  punishment  to  his  wife,  and  as  a  relief  of  his  troubled 
spirit.  So  on  the  morrow  he  announced  to  his  wife  that  he 
had  a  dream  and  could  not  be  satisfied  until  it  had  been 
divined.  Thereupon  she  "discovered  his  word,"  and  it  was 
that  the  tree  should  be  uprooted. 

"Truly  you  have  spoken,"  said  Ancient  One,  "and  now 
my  mind  shall  be  satisfied."  And  the  woman,  his  wife,  saw 
that  there  was  trouble  ahead  for  the  sky  world,  but  she  too 
found  pleasure  in  the  uprooting  of  the  tree,  wishing  to 
know  what  was  beneath  it.  Yet  did  she  know  that  to 
uproot  the  tree  meant  disaster  for  her,  through  the  anger 
of  Ancient  One  against  her. 

It  so  happened  that  the  chief  called  all  his  people 
together  and  they  endeavored  to  uproot  the  tree,  it  being 
deep-rooted  and  firm.  Then  did  the  chief  grow  even  more 
angry  for  Iagen"tci  had  cried  out  that  calamity  threatened 
and  nobody  would  avert  it.  Then  did  the  chief,  himself 
embrace  the  tree  and  with  a  mighty  effort  uprooted  it, 
throwing  it  far  away.  His  effort  was  tremendous,  and  in 
uprooting  the  tree  he  shook  down  fruits  and  leaves.  There- 
after he  went  into  his  lodge  and  entered  into  the  apartment 
where  his  wife,  Iagen"tci,  lay  moaning  that  she  too  must  be 
satisfied  by  a  look  into  the  hole.  So  the  chief  led  her  to 
the  hole  made  by  uprooting  the  tree. 

He  caused  her  to  seat  herself  on  the  edge  of  the  hole 


HOW  THE  WORLD  BEGAN 


61 


and  peer  downward.  Again  his  anger  returned  against  her, 
for  she  said  nothing  to  indicate  that  she  had  been  satisfied. 
Long  she  sat  looking  into  the  hole  until  the  chief  in  rage 
drew  her  blanket  over  her  head  and  pushed  her  with  his 
foot,  seeking  to  thrust  her  into  the  hole,  and  be  rid  of  her. 
As  he  did  this  she  grasped  the  earth  at  her  side  and  gath- 
ered in  her  fingers  all  manner  of  seeds  that  had  fallen  from 
the  shaken  tree.  In  her  right  hand  she  held  the  leaves  of 
the  plant  that  smelled  like  burning  tobacco,  for  it  grew  from 
a  root  that  had  been  broken  off.  Again  the  chief  pushed  the 
woman,  whose  curiosity  had  caused  the  destruction  of  the 
greatest  blessing  of  the  up-above-world.  It  was  a  mighty 
push,  and  despite  her  hold  upon  the  plant  and  upon  the 
ground,  she  fell  into  the  hole. 

Now,  this  hole  had  penetrated  the  crust  of  the  upper 
world  and  when  Iagen"tci  fell  she  went  far  down  out  of 
sight  and  the  chief  could  not  see  her  in  the  depths  of  the 
darkness  below.  As  she  fell  she  beheld  a  beast  that  emitted 
fire  from  its  head  whom  she  called  Gaas'iofidie't'ha', 
(Gahashondietoh).  It  is  said  that  as  she  passed  by  him  he 
took  out  a  small  pot,  a  corn  mortar,  a  pestle,  a  marrow  bone 
and  an  ear  of  corn  and  presented  them  to  her,  saying,  "Be- 
cause thou  has  thus  done,  thou  shalt  eat  by  these  things,  for 
there  is  nothing  below,  and  all  who  eat  shall  see  me  once 
and  it  will  be  the  last." 

Now  it  is  difficult  to  know  how  this  Fire  Beast  can  be 
seen  for  he  is  of  the  color  of  the  wind  and  is  of  the  color 
of  anything  that  surrounds  it,  though  some  say  he  is  pure 
white. 

Hovering  over  the  troubled  waters  below  were  other 
creatures,  some  like  and  some  unlike  those  that  were  created 
afterward.  It  is  said  by  the  old  people  that  in  those  times 
lived  the  spirit  of  Ga'ha'  and  of  S'hagodiiowen"g6wa,  of 
Hi"non'  and  of  Deiodasondaiko,  (The  Wind,  the  Defending 
Face,  the  Thunder  and  the  Heavy  Night.)     There  were 


62 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


also  what  seemed  to  be  ducks  upon  the  water  and  these  also 
saw  the  descending  figure. 

The  creature-beings  knew  that  a  new  body  was  coming 
to  them  and  that  here  below  there  was  no  abiding  place 
for  her.  They  took  council  together  and  sought  to  devise 
a  way  to  provide  for  her. 

It  was  agreed  that  the  duck-creatures  should  receive  her 
on  their  interknit  wings  and  lower  her  gently  to  the  surface 
below.  The  great  turtle  from  the  under-world  was  to  arise 
and  make  his  broad  back  a  resting-place.  It  was  as  has 
been  agreed  and  the  woman  came  down  upon  the  floating 
island. 

Then  did  the  creatures  seek  to  make  a  world  for  the 
woman  and  one  by  one  they  dove  to  the  bottom  of  the 
water  seeking  to  find  earth  to  plant  upon  the  turtle's  back. 
A  duck  dived  but  went  so  far  that  it  breathed  the  water 
and  came  up  dead.  A  pickerel  went  down  and  came  back 
dead.  Many  creatures  sought  to  find  the  bottom  of  the 
water  but  could  not.  At  last  the  creature  called  Muskrat 
made  the  attempt  and  only  succeeded  in  touching  the  bottom 
with  his  nose  but  this  was  sufficient  for  he  was  enabled  to 
smear  it  upon  the  shell  and  the  earth  immediately  grew, 
and  as  the  earth-substance  increased  so  did  the  size  of  the 
turtle. 

After  a  time  the  woman,  who  lay  prone,  aroused  herself 
and  released  what  was  in  her  hands,  dropping  many  seeds 
into  the  folds  of  her  garment.  Likewise  she  spread  out 
the  earth  from  the  heaven  world  which  she  had  grasped  and 
thus  caused  the  seeds  to  spring  into  germination  as  they 
dropped  from  her  dress. 

The  root  of  the  tree  which  she  had  grasped  she  sunk 
into  the  soil  where  she  had  fallen  and  this  too  began  to  grow 
until  it  formed  a  tree  with  all  manner  of  fruits  and  flowers 
and  bore  a  luminous  orb  at  its  top  by  which  the  new  world 
became  illuminated. 


HOW  THE  WORLD  BEGAN 


63 


Now  in  due  season  the  Sky-Woman2  lay  beneath  the 
tree  and  to  her  a  daughter  was  born.  She  was  then  happy 
for  she  had  a  companion.  Rapidly  the  girl  child  grew  until 
very  soon  she  could  run  about.  It  was  then  the  custom  of 
Ancient  One  to  say :  "My  daughter,  run  about  the  island 
and  return  telling  me  what  you  have  seen." 

Day  by  day  the  girl  ran  around  the  island  and  each  time 
it  became  larger,  making  her  trips  longer  and  longer.  She 
observed  that  the  earth  was  carpeted  with  grass  and  that 
shrubs  and  trees  were  springing  up  everywhere.  This  she 
reported  to  her  mother,  who  sat  beneath  the  centrally  situ- 
ated great  tree. 

In  one  part  of  the  island  there  was  a  tree  on  which  grew 
a  long  vine  and  upon  this  vine  the  girl  was  accustomed  to 
swing  for  amusement  and  her  body  moved  to  and  fro  giving 
her  great  delight.  Then  did  her  mother  say,  "My  daughter, 
you  laugh  as  if  being  embraced  by  a  lover.  Have  you  seen 
a  man  ?" 

"I  have  seen  no  one  but  you,  my  mother,"  answered  the 
girl,  "but  when  I  swing  I  know  someone  is  close  to  me  and 
I  feel  my  body  embraced  as  if  with  strong  arms.  I  feel 
thrilled  and  I  tingle,  which  causes  me  to  laugh." 

Then  did  the  Sky-Woman  look  sad,  and  she  said,  "My 
daughter,  I  know  not  now  what  will  befall  us.  You  are 
married  to  Ga'ha',  and  he  will  be  the  father  of  your  children. 
There  will  be  two  boys." 

In  due  season  the  voices  of  two  boys  were  heard  speak- 
ing, eia'da'gon',  and  the  words  of  one  were  kind  and  he  gave 
no  trouble,  but  the  words  of  the  other  were  harsh  and  he 
desired  to  kill  his  mother.  His  skin  was  covered  with  warts 
and  boils  and  he  was  inclined  to  cause  great  pain. 

When  the  two  boys  were  born,  Elder  One  made  his 
mother  happy  but  when  Warty  One  was  born  he  pierced 
her  through  the  arm  pit  and  stood  upon  her  dead  body. 


We  use  this  name  for  convenience  only. 


SE.YfrCA  MYTHS  AXD  LEGEXDS 


So  did  the  mother  perish,  and  because  of  this  the  Sky 
Woman  wept. 

The  boys  required  Uttle  care  but  instantly  became  able 
to  care  for  themselves.  After  the  mother's  body  had  been 
arranged  for  burial,  the  Sky  Woman  saw  the  Elder  One 
whom  she  called  Good  Mind,  approach,  and  he  said.  "Grand- 
mother, I  wish  to  help  you  prepare  the  grave."'  So  he 
helped  his  grandmother  who  continually  wept,  and  deposited 
the  body  of  his  mother  in  a  grave.  Thereupon  did  the 
grandmother  speak  to  her  daughter : 

"Oh.  my  daughter."  she  said.  "You  have  departed  and 
made  the  first  path  to  the  world  from  which  I  came  bring- 
ing your  life.  When  you  reach  that  homeland  make  ready 
to  receive  many  beings  from  this  place  below,  for  I  think 
the  path  will  be  trodden  by  many." 

Good  Mind  watched  at  the  grave  of  his  mother  and 
watered  the  earth  above  it  until  the  grass  grew.  He  con- 
tinued to  watch  until  he  saw  strange  buds  coming  out  of 
the  ground. 

Where  the  feet  were  the  earth  sprouted  with  a  plant  that 
became  the  stringed-potato,  (onennoE"da'oI!'wet)  where  her 
fingers  lay  sprang  the  beans,  where  her  abdomen  lay  sprang 
the  squash,  where  her  breasts  lay  sprang  the  corn  plant,  and 
from  the  spot  above  her  forehead  sprang  the  tobacco  plant. 

Xow  the  warty-  one  was  named  Evil  Mind,  and  he  neg- 
lected his  mother's  grave  and  spent  his  time  tearing  up  the 
land  and  seeking  to  do  evil. 

When  the  grandmother  saw  the  plants  springing  from 
the  grave  of  her  daughter  and  cared  for  by  Good  Mind  she 
was  thankful  and  said,  "By  these  things  we  shall  hereafter 
live,  and  they  shall  be  cooked  in  pots  with  fire,  and  the 
corn  shall  be  your  milk  and  sustain  you.  You  shall  make 
the  corn  grow  in  hills  like  breasts,  for  from  the  corn  shall 
flow  our  living." 

Then  the  Grandmother,  the  Sky  Woman,  took  Good 
Mind  about  the  island  and  instructed  him  how  to  produce 


HOtV  THE  WORLD  BEG  AX 


plants  and  trees.  So  he  spoke  to  the  earth  and  said,  "Let 
a  willow  here  come  forth,"  and  it  came.  In  a  like  manner 
he  made  the  oak,  the  chestnut,  the  beech,  the  hemlock,  the 
spruce,  the  pine,  the  maple,  the  button-ball,  the  tulip,  the 
elm  and  many  other  trees  that  should  become  useful. 

With  a  jealous  stomach  the  Evil  Mind  followed  behind 
and  sought  to  destroy  the  good  things  but  could  not,  so  he 
spoke  to  the  earth  and  said :  "Briars  come  forth,"  and  they 
came  forth.  Likewise  he  created  poisonous  plants  and 
thorns  upon  bushes. 

L'pon  a  certain  occasion  Good  Mind  made  inquiries  of 
his  Grandmother,  asking  where  his  father  dwelt.  Then  did 
the  Sky  W  oman  say :  "You  shall  now  seek  your  father.  He 
lives  to  the  uttermost  east  and  you  shall  go  to  the  far  east- 
ern end  of  the  island  and  go  over  the  water  until  you  behold 
a  mountain  rising  from  the  sea.  You  shall  walk  up  the 
mountain  and  there  you  will  find  your  father  seated  upon 
the  top." 

Good  Mind  made  the  pilgrimage  and  came  to  the  moun- 
tain. At  the  foot  of  the  mountain  he  looked  upward  and 
called.  "My  father,  where  art  thou?"  And  a  great  voice 
sounded  the  word :  "A  son  of  mine  shall  cast  the  cliff  from 
the  mountain's  edge  to  the  summit  of  this  peak."  Good 
Mind  grasped  the  cliff  and  with  a  mighty-  effort  flung  it  to 
the  mountain  top.  Again  he  cried.  "My  father,  where  art 
thou?"  The  answer  came,  "A  son  of  mine  shall  swim  the 
cataract  from  the  pool  below  to  the  top."  Good  Mind 
leaped  into  the  falls  and  swam  upward  to  the  top  where  the 
water  poured  over.  He  stood  there  and  cried  again,  "My 
father,  where  art  thou?"  The  voice  answered,  "A  son  of 
mine  shall  wrestle  with  the  wind."  So,  there  at  the  edge 
of  a  terrifying  precipice  Good  Mind  grappled  with  Wind 
and  the  two  wrestled,  each  endeavoring  to  throw  the  other 
over.  It  was  a  terrible  battle  and  Wind  tore  great  rocks 
from  the  mountain  side  and  lashed  the  water  below,  but 
Good  Mind  overcame  Wind,  and  he  departed  moaning  in 


66 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


defeat.  Once  more  Good  Mind  called,  "My  father,  where 
art  thou  ?"  In  awesome  tones  the  voice  replied,  "A  son  of 
mine  shall  endure  the  flame,"  and  immediately  a  flame 
sprang  out  of  the  mountain  side  and  enveloped  Good  Mind. 
It  Winded  him  and  tortured  him  with  its  cruel  heat,  but  he 
threw  aside  its  entwining  arms  and  ran  to  the  mountain  top 
where  he  beheld  a  being  sitting  in  the  midst  of  a  blaze  of 
light. 

"I  am  thy  father,"  said  the  voice.   "Thou  art  my  son." 

"I  have  come  to  receive  power,"  said  the  son.  "I  wish 
to  rule  all  things  on  the  earth." 

"You  have  power,"  answered  the  father.  "You  have 
conquered.  I  give  to  you  the  bags  of  life,  the  containers 
of  living  creatures  that  will  bless  the  earth." 

Thus  did  the  father  and  son  counsel  together  and  the 
son  learned  many  things  that  he  should  do.  He  learned 
how  to  avoid  the  attractive  path  that  descended  to  the  place 
of  the  cave  where  Hanishe'ono11'  dwells. 

Now  the  father  said,  "How  did  you  come  to  find  me, 
seeing  I  am  secluded  by  many  elements?" 

The  Good  Mind  answered,  "When  I  was  about  to  start 
my  journey  Sky  Wom'an,  my  grandmother,  gave  me  a  flute 
and  I  blew  upon  it,  making  music.  Now,  when  the  music 
ceased  the  flute  spoke  to  me,  saying,  'This  way  shalt  thou 
go,'  and  I  continued  to  make  music  and  the  voice  of  the  flute 
spoke  to  me." 

Then  did  the  father  say,  "Make  music  by  the  flute  and 
listen,  then  shalt  thou  continue  to  know  the  right  direction." 

In  course  of  time  Good  Mind  went  down  the  mountain 
and  he  waded  the  sea,  taking  with  him  the  bags  with  which 
he  had  been  presented.  As  he  drew  near  the  shore  he  be- 
came curious  to  know  what  was  within,  and  he  pinched  one 
bag  hoping  to  feel  its  contents.  He  felt  a  movement  inside 
which  increased  until  it  became  violent.  The  bag  began  to 
roll  about  on  his  back  until  he  could  scarcely  hold  it  and  a 
portion  of  the  mouth  of  the  bag  slipped  from  his  hand. 


HOW  THE  WORLD  BEGAN 


67 


Immediately  the  things  inside  began  to  jump  out  and  fall 
into  the  water  with  a  great  splash,  and  they  were  water  ani- 
mals of  different  kinds.  The  other  bag  began  to  roll  around 
on  his  back  but  he  held  on  tightly  until  he  could  do  so  no 
more,  when  a  portion  of  the  mouth  slipped  and  out  flew 
many  kinds  of  birds,  some  flying  seaward  and  others  inland 
toward  the  trees.  Then  as  before  the  third  bag  began  to 
roll  about  but  he  held  on  very  tight,  but  it  slipped  and  fell 
into  the  water  and  many  kinds  of  swimming  creatures 
rushed  forth,  fishes,  crabs  and  eels.  The  fourth  bag  then 
began  to  roll  about,  but  he  held  on  until  he  reached  the 
land  when  he  threw  it  down,  and  out  rushed  all  the  good 
land  animals,  of  kinds  he  did  not  know.  From  the  bird 
bag  had  come  good  insects,  and  from  the  fish  bag  had  also 
come  little  turtles  and  clams. 

When  Good  Mind  came  to  his  grandmother  beneath  the 
tree  she  asked  what  he  had  brought,  for  she  heard  music  in 
the  trees  and  saw  creatures  scampering  about.  Thereupon 
Good  Mind  related  what  had  happened,  and  Sky  Woman 
said,  "We  must  now  call  all  the  animals  and  discover  their 
names,  and  moreover  we  must  so  treat  them  that  they  will 
have  fat." 

So  then  she  spoke,  "Cavity  be  in  the  ground  and  be 
filled  with  oil."  The  pool  of  oil  came,  for  Sky  Woman  had 
the  power  of  creating  what  she  desired. 

Good  Mind  then  caught  the  animals  one  by  one  and 
brought  them  to  his  grandmother.  She  took  a  large  furry 
animal  and  cast  it  into  the  pool  and  it  swam  very  slowly 
across,  licking  up  much  oil.  "This  animal  shall  hereafter 
be  known  as  niagwaih,  (bear)  and  you  shall  be  very  fat." 
Next  came  another  animal  with  much  fur  and  it  swam 
across  and  licked  up  the  oil,  and  it  was  named  degiia"gon, 
(buffalo).  So  in  turn  were  named  the  elk,  the  moose,  the 
badger,  the  woodchuck,  and  the  raccoon,  and  all  received 
much  fat.  Then  came  the  beaver  (nangannia'gon') ,  the 
porcupine  and  the  skunk.    Now  Good  Mind  wished  the 


68 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


deer  to  enter  but  it  was  shy  and  bounded  away,  whereupon 
he  took  a  small  arrow  and  pierced  its  front  leg,  his  aim 
being  good.  Then  the  deer  came  and  swam  across  the  pool 
and  oil  entered  the  wound  and  healed  it.  This  oil  of  the 
deer's  leg  is  a  medicine  for  wounds  to  this  day  and  if  the 
eyes  are  anointed  with  it  one  may  shoot  straight. 

Again  other  animals  came  and  one  by  one  they  were 
named  weasel,  mink,  otter,  fisher,  panther,  lynx,  wild  cat, 
fox,  wolf,  big  wolf,  squirrel,  chipmunk,  mole,  and  many 
others. 

And  many  animals  that  were  not  desired  plunged  into 
the  pool  of  oil,  and  these  Good  Mind  seized  as  they  came 
out  and  he  stripped  them  of  their  fat  and  pulled  out  their 
bodies  long.  So  he  did  to  the  otter,  fisher,  weasel  and  mink. 
So  he  did  to  the  panther,  wolf,  big  wolf,  and  fox,  the  lynx 
and  the  wildcat.  Of  these  the  fat  to  this  day  is  not  good 
tasting.  But  after  a  time  Evil  Mind  secured  a  bag  of 
creatures  from  the  road  to  the  Cave  and  unloosed  it,  and 
evil  things  crawled  into  the  pool  and  grew  fat.  So  did  the 
rattlesnake  and  great  bugs  and  loathly  worms. 

Thus  did  Evil  Mind  secure  many  evil  monsters  and 
insects,  and  he  enticed  good  animals  into  his  traps  and  per- 
verted them  and  gave  them  appetites  for  men-beings.  He 
was  delighted  to  see  how  fierce  he  could  make  the  animals, 
and  set  them  to  quarreling. 

He  roamed  about  visiting  the  streams  of  pure  water 
made  by  Good  Mind  and  filling  them  with  mud  and  slime, 
and  he  kicked  rocks  in  the  rivers  and  creeks  to  make  passage 
difficult,  and  he  planted  nettles  and  thorns  in  the  paths. 
Thus  did  he  do  to  cause  annoyance. 

Now  Good  Mind  sat  with  his  grandmother  beneath  the 
tree  of  light  and  he  spoke  to  her  of  the  world  and  how  he 
might  improve  it.  "Alas,"  said  she,  "I  believe  that  only 
one  more  task  awaits  me  and  then  I  shall  go  upon  my  path 
and  follow  your  mother  back  to  the  world  beyond  the  sky. 


HOW  THE  WORLD  BEGAN 


69 


It  remains  for  me  to  call  into  being  certain  lights  in  the 
blackness  above  where  Heavy  Night  presides." 

So  saying  she  threw  the  contents  of  a  bag  into  the  sky 
and  it  quickly  became  sprinkled  with  stars.  And  thus 
there  came  into  being  constellations  (haditgwa"da') ,  and 
of  these  we  see  the  bear  chase,  the  dancing  brothers,  the 
seated  woman,  the  beaver  skin,  the  belt,  and  many  others. 

Now  it  seems  that  Good  Mind  knew  that  there  should 
be  a  luminous  orb  and,  so  it  is  said,  he  took  his  mother's 
face  and  flung  it  skyward  and  made  the  sun,  and  took  his 
mother's  breast  and  flinging  it  into  the  sky  made  the  moon. 
So  it  is  said,  but  there  are  other  accounts  of  the  creation  of 
these  lights.  It  is  said  that  the  first  beings  made  them  by 
going  into  the  sky. 

Shortly  after  the  creation  of  the  stars  (gadji"son"da') , 
the  grandmother  said  unto  Good  Mind,  "I  believe  that  the 
time  has  come  when  I  should  depart,  for  nearly  all  is  fin- 
ished here.  There  is  a  road  from  my  feet  and  I  have  a 
song  which  I  shall  sing  by  which  I  shall  know  the  path. 
There  is  one  more  matter  that  troubles  me  for  I  see  that 
your  brother  is  jealous  and  will  seek  to  kill  you.  Use  great 
care  that  you  overcome  him  and  when  you  have  done  so 
confine  him  in  the  cave  and  send  with  him  the  evil  spirit 
beasts,  lest  they  injure  men." 

When  morning  came  the  Sky  Woman  had  departed  and 
her  journey  was  toward  the  sky  world. 

Good  Mind  felt  lonely  and  believed  that  his  own  mission 
was  about  at  end.  He  had  been  in  conflict  with  his  brother, 
Evil  Mind,  and  had  sought,  moreover,  to  overcome  and  to 
teach  the  Whirlwind  and  Wind,  and  the  Fire  Beast. 

Soon  Evil  Mind  came  proposing  a  hunting  trip  and  Good 
Mind  went  with  him  on  the  journey.  When  they  had  gone 
a  certain  distance  the  Evil  Mind  said,  "My  elder  brother, 
I  perceive  that  you  are  about  to  call  forth  men-beings  who 
shall  live  on  the  island  that  we  here  have  inhabited.  I  pro- 
pose to  afflict  them  with  disease  and  to  make  life  difficult, 


70 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


for  this  is  not  their  world  but  mine,  and  I  shall  do  as  I 
please  to  spoil  it." 

Then  did  Good  Mind  answer  and  say,  "Verily,  I  am 
about  to  make  man-beings  who  shall  live  here  when  I 
depart,  for  I  am  going  to  follow  the  road  skyward  made 
first  by  my  mother." 

"This  is  good  news,"  answered  Evil  Mind.  "I  propose 
that  you  then  reveal  unto  me  the  word  that  has  power  over 
your  life,  that  I  may  possess  it  and  have  power  when  you 
are  gone." 

Good  Mind  now  saw  that  his  brother  wished  to  destroy 
him,  and  so  he  said,  "It  may  happen  that  you  will  employ 
the  cat-tail  flag,  whose  sharp  leaves  will  pierce  me." 

Good  Mind  then  lay  down  and  slumbered,  but  soon  was 
awakened  by  Evil  Mind  who  was  lashing  him  with  cat-tail 
flags,  and  yelling  loudly,  "Thou  shalt  die."  Good  Mind 
arose  and  asked  his  brother  what  he  meant  by  lashing  him 
and  he  answered,  "I  was  seeking  to  awaken  you  from  a 
dream,  for  you  were  speaking." 

So,  soon  again  the  brother,  Evil  Mind,  asked,  "My 
brother,  I  wish  to  know  the  word  that  has  power  over 
you."  And  Good  Mind  perceiving  his  intention  answered, 
"It  may  be  that  deer-horns  will  have  power  over  me ;  they 
are  sharp  and  hard." 

Soon  Good  Mind  slept  again  and  was  awakened  by  Evil 
Mind  beating  him  with  deer-horns,  seeking  to  destroy  him. 
They  rushed  inland  to  the  foot  of  the  tree  and  fought  each 
other  about  it.  Evil  Mind  was  very  fierce  and  rushed  at 
his  brother  thrusting  the  horns  at  him  and  trying  to  pierce 
his  chest,  his  face  or  tear  his  abdomen.  Finally,  Good  Mind 
disarmed  him,  saying,  "Look  what  you  have  done  to  the 
tree  where  Ancient  One  was  wont  to  care  for  us,  and  whose 
branches  have  supplied  us  with  food.  See  how  you  have 
torn  this  tree  and  stripped  it  of  its  valuable  products.  This 
tree  was  designed  to  support  the  life  of  men-beings  and 
now  you  have  injured  it.    I  must  banish  you  to  the  region 


HOW  THE  WORLD  BEGAN 


71 


of  the  great  cave  and  you  shall  have  the  name  of  Destroy- 
er." 

So  saying  he  used  his  good  power  to  overcome  Evil 
Mind's  otgont  (evil  power)  and  thrust  him  into  the  mouth 
of  the  cave,  and  with  him  all  manner  of  enchanted  beasts. 
There  he  placed  the  white  buffalo,  the  poison  beaver,  the 
poison  otter,  snakes  and  many  bewitched  things  that  were 
otgont.  So  there  to  this  day  abides  Evil  Mind  seeking  to 
emerge,  and  his  voice  is  heard  giving  orders. 

Then  Good  Mind  went  back  to  the  tree  and  soon  saw  a 
being  walking  about.  He  walked  over  to  the  place  where 
the  being  was  pacing  to  and  fro.  He  saw  that  it  was 
S'hagodiiwen"gowa,  who  was  a  giant  with  a  grotesque  face. 
"I  am  master  of  the  earth,"  roared  this  being  (called  also 
Great  Defender),  for  he  was  the  whirlwind.  "If  you  are 
master,"  said  Good  Mind,  "prove  your  power." 

Defender  said,  "What  shall  be  our  test?" 

"Let  this  be  the  test,"  said  Good  Mind,  "that  the  moun- 
tain yonder  shall  approach  us  at  your  bidding." 

So  Defender  spoke  saying,  "Mountain,  come  hither." 
And  they  turned  their  backs  that  they  might  not  see  it 
coming  until  it  stood  at  their  backs.  Soon  they  turned 
about  again  and  the  mountain  had  not  moved. 

"So  now,  I  shall  command,"  said  Good  Mind,  and  he 
spoke  saying,  "Mountain,  come  hither,"  and  they  turned 
their  backs.  There  was  a  rushing  of  air  and  Defender 
turned  to  see  what  was  behind  him  and  fell  against  the 
onrushing  mountain,  and  it  bent  his  nose  and  twisted  his 
mouth,  and  from  this  he  never  recovered. 

Then  did  Defender  say,  "I  do  now  acknowledge  you  to 
be  master.   Command  me  and  I  will  obey." 

"Since  you  love  to  wander,"  said  Good  Mind,  "it  shall 
be  your  duty  to  move  about  over  the  earth  and  stir  up 
things.  You  shall  abandon  your  evil  intentions  and  seek  to 
overcome  your  otgont  nature,  changing  it  to  be  of  benefit  to 
man-beings,  whom  I  am  about  to  create." 


72 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Then,"  said  Defender,  "shall  man-beings  offer  incense 
tobacco  to  me  and  make  a  song  that  is  pleasing  to  me,  and 
they  shall  carve  my  likeness  from  the  substance  of  trees, 
and  my  orenda  will  enter  the  likeness  of  my  face  and  it 
shall  be  a  help  to  men-beings  and  they  shall  use  the  face 
as  I  shall  direct.  Then  shall  all  the  diseases  that  I  may 
cause  depart  and  I  shall  be  satisfied." 

Again  Good  Mind  wandered,  being  melancholy.  Look- 
ing up  he  saw  another  being  approaching. 

"I  am  Thunder,"  said  the  being. 

"What  can  you  do  to  be  a  help  to  me?"  asked  Good 
Mind. 

"I  can  wash  the  earth  and  make  drink  for  the  trees  and 
grass,"  said  Thunder. 

"What  can  you  do  to  be  a  benefit  to  the  men-beings  I  am 
about  to  create  ?"  asked  Good  Mind. 

"I  shall  slay  evil  monsters  when  they  escape  from  the 
under-world,"  said  Thunder.  "I  shall  have  scouts  who  will 
notify  me  and  I  shall  shoot  all  otgont  beings." 

Then  was  Good  Mind  satisfied,  and  he  pulled  up  a  tree 
and  saw  the  water  fill  the  cavity  where  the  roots  had  been. 
Long  he  gazed  into  the  water  until  he  saw  a  reflection  of 
his  own  image.  "Like  unto  that  will  I  make  men-beings," 
he  thought.  So  then  he  took  clay  and  molded  it  into  small 
images  of  men  and  women.  These  he  placed  on  the  ground 
and  when  they  were  dry  he  spoke  to  them  and  they  sprang 
up  and  lived. 

When  he  saw  them  he  said  unto  them,  "All  this  world 
I  give  unto  you.  It  is  from  me  that  you  shall  say  you  are 
descended  and  you  are  the  children  of  the  first-born  of 
earth,  and  you  shall  say  that  you  are  the  flesh  of  Iagen"tci, 
she  the  Ancient  Bodied  One. 

When  he  had  acquainted  them  with  the  other  first  beings, 
and  shown  them  how  to  hunt  and  fish  and  to  eat  of  the 
fruits  of  the  land,  he  told  them  that  they  should  seek  to  live 


HOW  THE  WORLD  BEGAN 


73 


together  as  friends  and  brothers  and  that  they  should  treat 
each  other  well. 

He  told  them  how  to  give  incense  of  tobacco,  for 
Awen'ha'i',  Ancient  Bodied  One,  had  stripped  the  heaven 
world  of  tobacco  when  she  fell,  and  thus  its  incense  should 
be  a  pleasing  one  into  which  men-beings  might  speak  their 
words  when  addressing  him  hereafter.  These  and  many 
other  things  did  he  tell  them. 

Soon  he  vanished  from  the  sight  of  created  men  beings, 
and  he  took  all  the  first  beings  with  him  upon  the  sky  road. 

Soon  men-beings  began  to  increase  and  they  covered 
the  earth,  and  from  them  we  are  descended.  Many  things 
have  happened  since  those  days,  so  much  that  all  can  never 
be  told. 


2.  THE  BROTHERS  WHO  CLIMBED  TO  THE  SKY. 


There  were  once  three  brothers  who  had  spent  their 
lives  as  hunters.  At  last  one  growing  tired  of  the  chase 
suggested  that,  as  a  break  in  the  monotony  of  existence, 
they  would  walk  to  the  end  of  the  earth  where  the  sky 
touched  the  water  of  the  great  seas.  This  proposition  met 
with  favor  with  all  and  together  they  set  out  on  their  long 
journey.  Many  years  of  adventure  were  spent,  when  at 
last  they  reached  the  spot  where  the  sky  bends  down  to 
earth  ( gaenhyakdondye ) . 

For  two  changes  of  the  moon  they  camped  near  this 
spot  and  watched  the  mysterious  things  that  happened  about 
the  blue  dome's  rim.  Each  day  it  rose  high  from  the  earth 
and  fell  back  upon  the  sea.  When  it  rose  the  water  would 
recede  and  when  it  fell  the  water  would  rise  high  on  the 
shore.  Finally  two  brothers  desired  to  run  upon  the  sand 
beneath  the  rim  of  the  bowl  but  the  third  brother  hung  back 
and  was  afraid,  but  seeing  the  others  afar  off  he  ran  beneath 
the  rim  and  hastened  to  overtake  them  but  just  as  the  two 
stepped  out  from  the  farther  side  of  the  blue  wall  it  came 
down  and  the  third  was  crushed ;  but  his  spirit  sped  forward 
like  the  wind  on  its  journey.  The  two  mourned  the  loss  of 
their  brother  in  this  summary  way  but  continued  their 
adventure. 

Now  on  the  other  side  of  the  sky  all  things  seemed 
turned  around.  Before  them  was  a  high  rounded  hill  and 
when  they  ascended  it  they  found  a  large  village  in  the 
distance.  A  man  came  running  toward  them.  It  was  their 
brother. 

"How  came  you  here,  brother?"  they  asked.  "We  did 
not  see  you  pass  us,"  but  all  the  other  brother  would  say 
was,  "Never  hesitate,  never  delay !"  and  passed  on. 

They  saw  an  old  man  approaching.  His  youthful  vigor 
and  strong,  well-proportioned  body  surprised  them.  No 

74 


THE  SKY  CLIMBERS 


75 


earthly  symptoms  of  old  age  had  he.  His  white  hair  alone 
betokened  that. 

Coming  near  he  greeted  them.  "I  am  the  Father  of 
All,"  he  said,  "and  my  son  is  T'hahon'hiawa"kon,  the  Great 
Spirit.  He  is  the  ruler  of  all  below.  Now  let  me  advise 
you.  When  you  see  him  call  him  quickly  and  say 
'Nya'we"skano' ' !  If  you  fail  to  speak  first  he  will  say, 
'you  are  mine,'  and  you  will  no  more  be  men  but  spirits  as 
your  brother  is." 

The  brothers  went  their  way  and  came  to  a  high  white 
lodge.  As  they  walked  up  the  path  a  tall  handsome  man 
stepped  out. 

"Nyawe"skano' !"  shouted  the  brothers  in  chorus. 

"DogeDs !"  responded  the  being.  "Come  in.  I  have  been 
watching  you  a  long  time." 

The  brothers  entered  the  lodge. 

"How  are  your  bodies,  men  ?"  asked  the  being. 

"Good  indeed  !"  replied  the  brothers. 

"Untrue,"  said  the  great  being.  "I  am  the  Master  of 
Life  and  know!  One  of  you  must  lie  down  and  I  will 
purify  him  first,  and  then  the  other." 

One  brother  placed  himself  upon  the  ground.  Master 
of  Life  took  a  small  shell,  placed  it  to  his  lips,  tapped  him 
upon  the  neck,  and  then  carefully  sealed  the  shell  with  a 
lump  of  clay.  He  now  began  to  skin  the  prostrate  man.  He 
stripped  every  muscle  from  its  fastenings,  took  out  the 
organs,  and  separated  the  bones.  He  cleansed  each  fibre 
from  corruption  and  disease  with  a  fluid  from  his  mouth 
and  then  put  the  man  together  again.  The  same  process 
was  repeated  with  the  second  brother.  Then,  placing  the 
shells  upon  their  mouths,  he  loosened  the  clay  and  tapped 
the  necks  of  the  men.  Sitting  up  they  said,  "It  seems  as 
if  we  have  slept." 

Every  power  of  your  bodies  is  renewed,"  said  the  Master 
of  Life.  "How  would  you  like  to  test  your  skill  now?" 
And,  leading  the  way,  he  entered  a  beautiful  forest  sur- 


76 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


rounded  by  a  hedge.  The  borders  of  the  grove  were  lined 
with  beds  of  vegetables  and  flowers. 

"Come  into  the  inner  part  of  my  garden,"  said  the 
Master  of  Life,  "and  see  my  droves  of  deer." 

A  stalwart  buck  with  proud  branching  antlers  came 
bounding  toward  them. 

"He  is  the  swiftest  of  all  my  runners,"  said  the  Master 
of  Life.    "Try  to  catch  him." 

The  men  followed  after  and  easily  overtook  the  fleeing 
deer. 

"He  has  given  us  good  speed,"  said  the  brothers,  nor 
was  this  the  only  power.  For  long  they  tried  their  skill  in 
every  way  and  found  it  equal  to  any  task  that  creatures 
could  perform. 

Returning  to  the  great  white  lodge  the  brothers  saw  a 
messenger  of  wondrous  swiftness  come  speeding  toward 
them.  Upon  his  wide  expanded  chest  was  suspended  a 
brilliant  ball  of  light.  In  some  unknown  tongue  he  shouted 
as  he  dashed  by  on  his  journey. 

"Do  you  understand  his  words,  or  do  you  even  know 
him  ?"  asked  the  Master.  "He  is  Sun,  my  messenger, 
Ho'sen'age"dag6wa.  Each  day  he  brings  me  news.  Noth- 
ing from  east  to  west  escapes  his  eyes.  He  has  just  told 
me  of  a  war  raging  even  now  between  your  people  and 
another  nation,  so  come,  let  us  look  down  upon  the  earth." 

Going  to  a  high  hill  the  men  looked  down  through  a 
hole  in  the  sky  and  saw  the  struggling  bands  of  men,  saw 
the  flaming  lodges,  and  even  the  cries  of  anguish  and  rage. 

"Such  things  men  will  ever  do,"  said  the  Master  of  Life 
as  he  led  them  away. 

The  brothers  lived  long  in  the  upper  world  and  learned 
much  that  their  tongues  never  could  tell.  They  saw  unten- 
nanted  villages  awaiting  the  coming  of  tribes  yet  to  be  born 
and  saw  their  own  lodges  where  they  should  be  when  they 
came  again  as  spirits.  Many  good  things  the  great  Master 
of  Life  told  them,  and  our  preachers  proclaim  them  now. 


THE  SKY  CLIMBERS 


77 


At  last  the  Master  told  them  they  must  depart,  and, 
guided  by  two  messengers,  they  descended  to  the  earth  by 
night  and  slept  on  the  ground. 

In  the  morning  they  discovered  that  their  native  village 
was  overgrown  with  trees,  and  following  a  path  through 
the  woods  came  to  another  settlement.  In  a  council  they 
told  their  story  and  no  one  knew  them  except  a  sister,  aged 
and  on  the  verge  of  the  grave. 

"The  war  of  which  you  speak,"  said  they,  "took  place 
fifty  years  ago." 

The  men  did  not  love  earth  now  but  longed  for  their 
lodges  in  the  sky  world.  They  were  men  of  wonderful  phys- 
ical power  and  neither  pestilence  nor  enchantments  could 
kill  them  but  two  fiery  shafts  of  the  sky  did.  They  then 
journeyed  back  to  the  great  white  lodge,  but  this  time  could 
not  return.1 


i  This  was  because  the  Creator  had  first  spoken.  To  have  resisted 
death  by  the  hand  of  a  mysterious  power  one  must  salute  it  with 
its  own  greeting. 


3.    THE  DEATH  PANTHER.1 
Now  the  old  folk  say  this  is  true. 

Two  boys  were  fast  friends  and  always  were  seen 
together.  Their  favorite  sport  was  to  play  in  the  waters  of 
a  deep  lake  that  washed  the  feet  of  a  tall  white-headed 
mountain  that  lay  a  distance  from  the  village. 

One  day  as  they  splashed  in  the  water,  swimming,  div- 
ing, and  sporting  as  boys  do,  one  suggested  that  they  both 
dive  at  the  same  instant  and  see  which  could  remain  below 
the  surface  the  longer.  This  suggestion  was  at  once  acted 
upon  and  each  time  they  dove  they  remained  below  a 
greater  time. 

In  the  course  of  the  game  one  of  the  boys,  Oohoosha, 
by  name,  discovered  a  flat  projecting  rock  to  which  he  could 
cling.  As  he  lay  holding  fast  to  the  rock  after  a  dive  he 
saw  a  hazy  indistinct  object  approaching  him  and  when 
it  neared  him  he  saw  that  it  was  a  tall  warrior  whose  smooth 
glistening  body  was  the  color  of  the  sky  or  the  color  of 
clear  water  when  the  clouds  pass  over. 

"Come  with  me,"  said  the  man,  in  a  friendly  manner 
and  although  he  had  never  heard  this  language  before, 
Oohoosha  strangely  understood  it  now.  So,  marveling, 
he  followed. 

The  dark  green  water  began  to  clear  and  in  the  distance, 
he  thought  he  saw  a  number  of  boys  playing  ball.  The 
guide  led  Oohoosha  into  a  large  moss-covered  council  hall 
where  a  stout  preacher,  with  a  yellow  and  pink  face,  sway- 
ing body  and  large  round  eyes  was  declaiming  to  the  people. 

"God  created  all  good  things  and  made  men  as  well  as 
fish !"  he  shouted,  as  the  bubbles  floated  up  from  his  mouth. 
"The  earth  people  are  his  children  as  well  as  we,  so  why 
should  not  we  who  know  and  foreknow  many  things,  notify 
them  that  trouble  is  coming  and  warn  them  to  avoid  it  ?" 


i  Related  by  Edward  Cornplanter,  Jan.,  1905,  at  Newtown,  Catta- 
raugus reservation. 

78 


THE  FIRE  BEAST 


79 


"I  will  go,"  said  the  boy's  friend,  as  he  pulled  his  cap. 
"It  is  my  office." 

The  preacher  rolled  his  eyes  and  looked  at  the  speaker, 
with  a  shudder  and  then  called  out,  "Gaa'siondie't'ha'  has 
promised  to  go.    May  he  succeed !" 

The  preacher  sat  down  and  the  dances  began,  and  long 
and  solemnly  the  people  danced.  After  these  ceremonies  the 
boy's  friend  told  him  that  he  must  go  up  to  the  earth-world 
and  warn  men  of  disaster.  He  took  him  to  his  lodge  and 
bade  him  care  for  it  during  his  absence.  He  was  to  have 
free  access  to  everything  save  the  back  room  of  the  lodge 
which  he  must  shun.  With  a  few  general  instructions  he 
departed,  leaving  Oohoosha  to  care  for  his  interests. 

For  four  moons  the  boy  kept  watch,  over  the  lodge  and 
dwelt  there  but  no  one  came  near  him,  and  when  at  last  the 
friend  returned  Oohoosha  asked  how  he  had  fared. 

"Ah !"  sighed  the  man,  "do  not  ask  me.  You  must  not 
stay  here  longer,  for  in  my  madness  you  may  see  me  as  I 
am.  I  am  the  messenger  of  death.  He  is  Sondowekowa,  I 
am  Gahachendietoh.  I  am  in  disguise  but  should  you  see  me 
you  would  soon  die,  so  depart  and  preach  what  I  whisper 
that  henceforth  mankind  may  profit." 

With  trembling  limbs  and  blanched  face  the  boy  listened 
to  the  whispered  words  of  his  friend  and  when  he  had 
learned  all,  he  shot  upward  to  the  surface  of  the  lake.  Strik- 
ing out  he  swam  to  the  shore  and  searching  beneath  a  rock 
shelter  he  found  his  clothing  as  fresh  as  when  he  had  doffed 
them.  Dressing,  he  set  out  to  find  his  comrade.  He  came 
to  the  village  but  found  on  its  site  only  charred  and  black- 
ened frames.  A  deep-trodden  trail  bordered  with  the  bones 
of  dogs  and  fragments  of  kettles  led  away  to  the  west,  and 
following  it  Oohoosha  saw  a  new  village,  but  only  a  few 
houses  were  there.  The  people  who  moved  like  ghosts 
silently  about  were  gaunt  and  scarred. 

Suddenly  a  lodge  door  opened  and  out  rushed  his  old 
comrade,  who  seeing  Oohoosha,  drew  back  with  a  cry  of 


80 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


fear  and  surprise ;  but  Oohosha  calling,  he  came  forward 
timidly  and  took  his  hand.  Looking  at  him  doubtfully  he 
spoke. 

"Oh,  Oohoosha !"  he  cried.  "How  came  you  back  from 
death !  I  thought  you  drowned  four  moons  ago  when  we 
dived  in  the  lake." 

"While  I  clung  to  a  rock,"  answered  Oohoosha,"  a  man 
came  to  me  and  said  'follow!'  I  did  not  drown  but  lived 
this  while  in  the  under-water  world.  Now,  tell  me,  why  is 
the  village  so  altered  and  why  do  the  people  stalk  silently 
about,  with  dull  eyes?" 

"Ah  me !"  said  the  comrade.  "A  devastating  war  has 
been  waged  and  we  are  reduced  in  number ;  a  terrible  famine 
has  swept  away  the  game  and  crops ;  a  pestilence  carried 
away  all  but  a  handful  of  our  people,  then  to  add  to  our 
trouble  a  marauding  band  came  and  burned  our  village 
while  we  slept." 

"And  did  no  warning  sign  appear?"  asked  Oohoosha. 

"Yes,  but  we  knew  it  not  as  such  until  it  was  long  too 
late  and  then  we  noticed  a  blue  panther  floating  high  in  the 
trees.  He  had  no  visible  face  but  from  his  tail  shot  flames 
of  fire."2 

"That  creature,"  exclaimed  Oohoosha,  "is  the  herald  of 
disaster.  His  name  is  Gaa'siohdie't'ha'  and  when  he  is  seen 
all  men  must  burn  tobacco.  Tobacco  incense  is  the  sign  that 
disaster  is  not  wanted  and  when  he  has  breathed  it  he  will 
go  away  satisfied  with  the  offering  and  turn  aside  the  im- 
pending evil.  But  come,  I  must  call  a  council  and  tell  the 
people." 


2  A  comet  or  shooting  star  is  considered  a  sign  of  the  death  pan 
ther. 


4.    THE  GREAT  BEAR  CONSTELLATION. 

In  the  days  of  the  first  people,  before  the  creation  of 
our  kind  of  man-beings,  there  were  seven  brothers.  All 
were  hunters,  but  one  was  not  as  skillful  as  the  others,  and 
he  was  called  the  Lazy  One. 

The  brothers  on  a  certain  occasion  had  failed  to  find 
any  game  though  they  had  hunted  many  moons.  They 
became  very  hungry  and  their  minds  were  charged  with 
magic  because  of  their  long  fast.  When  their  hunger 
semed  unendurable  they  resolved  to  go  out  and  make  one 
last  effort  to  find  game.  One  brother  was  reluctant  to  go 
and  clung  to  his  bed,  but  the  others  wrestled  with  him  and 
forced  him  to  go  with  them,  but  he  assumed  to  be  so  weak 
that  they  had  to  make  a  burden  litter  upon  which  they 
carried  him.  Four  brothers  carried  this  burden,  one  went 
before  with  a  torch  and  one  behind  with  a  kettle,  hoping 
for  food. 

When  they  had  gone  a  long  way  in  this  manner  the 
leading  brother  said :  "By  aid  of  my  torch  I  see  the  tracks 
of  a  large  bear.  I  believe  that  we  shall  soon  overtake  him." 
When  he  had  said  this  the  lazy  brother  in  the  litter  said, 
"I  am  very  weak  and  you  must  bathe  me  with  your  salivary 
fluid."1  They  paused  to  do  this  though  the  brothers  did 
not  like  to  delay  their  hunt. 

After  a  time  the  bear  tracks  appeared  to  be  fresh  before 
them  and  all  five  brothers  made  ready  for  the  hunt.  The 
rear  brother  commenced  to  gather  firewood  for  the  feast. 
Thus  they  traveled  for  three  days  more  until  the  bear 
appeared  just  ahead.  'We  must  now  abandon  you,  brother," 
said  the  litter-bearers,  for  we  are  weak  and  all  of  us  shall 
have  to  assist  in  killing  him  before  he  overpowers  us.  Now, 
we  shall  leave  you  here  alone  and  we  hope  you  may 
recover." 


i  In  this  manner  he  hoped  to  absorb  the  power  or  strength  of  his 
brothers. 

81 


82 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


When  the  lazy  brother  found  himself  abandoned  he 
leaped  up  and  ran  ahead.  Being  full  of  power  from  the 
bath  he  had  received  and  from  his  rest,  he  quickly  engaged 
the  bear  and  killed  it  with  an  axe. 

When  his  brothers  came  up  he  had  skinned  the  bear 
and  had  cut  off  some  meat.  Soon  the  brother  who  bore 
the  torch  made  a  fire  and  the  brother  with  the  kettle  had 
placed  the  meat  therein. 

When  all  were  satisfied  they  looked  about  them  and  dis- 
covered that  they  were  far  up  in  the  air  and  that  the  earth 
was  a  good  ways  below  them.  They  looked  down  and  saw 
that  the  blood  and  oil  from  the  bear  had  stained  the 
leaves  of  the  trees  and  made  them  red,  orange  and  yellow. 
This  is  how  the  autumn  leaves  became  colored. 

After  a  time  they  went  on  their  journey  and  soon 
found  that  the  bear  had  revived,  though  they  had  killed 
and  eaten  him.  So  they  again  pursued  him,  being  hungry, 
and  when  they  killed  him  it  was  autumn  again. 

This  bear  chase  keeps  up  all  the  time, — year  after  year, 
and  has  been  so  since  the  first  people  came.  If  you  will  look 
into  the  sky  where  the  bear-chase  cluster  is  seen  to  the 
north,  you  will  find  the  man  with  the  torch  at  the  end  of 
the  group  (big  dipper  or  great  bear  constellation),  and  will 
see  the  man  with  the  pot  in  the  middle  of  the  handle. 

It  seems  also  that  there  is  a  cave  in  which  the  bear 
hides  and  out  of  which  he  comes  at  the  time  the  brothers 
are  very  hungry.  Then  he  is  pursued  until  killed  by  the 
brother  who  has  saved  his  strength.  This  keeps  on  forever. 
So  we  call  those  stars  Nia'gwai'  hades'he'  (Bear  they  pur- 
suing are). 


THE  SEVEN  DANCING  BROTHERS. 
From  a  painting  by  Richard  J.  Tucker. 


5.    THE  SEVEN  BROTHERS  OF  THE  STAR 
CLUSTER.1 

Seven  brothers2  had  been  trained  as  young  warriors, 
each  day  they  practised  in  front  of  their  mother's  lodge, 
but  this  did  not  please  the  mother.  With  the  boys  was  an 
uncle  whose  custom  it  was  to  sit  outside  the  lodge  door  and 
drum  upon  a  water  drum,  that  the  boys  might  learn  to 
dance  correctly. 

In  time  the  boys  became  perfect  in  their  dancing,  and 
then  announced  that  they  were  about  to  depart  on  an 
expedition  to  test  their  skill.  The  seven  assembled  about 
the  war  post  and  began  their  dance.  They  then  went  into 
their  mother's  lodge  and  asked  her  to  supply  them  with 
dried  meat  and  parched  corn  for  their  journey  but  she  sent 
them  away,  scoffing  at  their  presumptions. 

Again  they  danced  and  again  returned  for  food.  "I  will 
not  give  you  so  much  as  a  small  cake  of  corn  bread,"  said 
the  mother  hoping  to  restrain  them.  But  they  went  back 
to  their  dance.  A  third  time  they  returned  but  again  were 
repulsed. 

The  fourth  dance  started  and  the  oldest  youth  changed 
his  tune  to  the  song  of  Djihaya.  With  great  enthusiasm  he 
sang  compelling  his  brothers  to  dance  a  dance  of  magic. 

Hearing  the  wierd  music  the  mother  rushed  out  of  the 
lodge  and  saw  her  sons  dancing  in  the  air  over  the  trees. 
This  greatly  startled  her  and  she  cried,  "Return,  my  sons ! 
What  manner  of  departure  is  this?"  But  the  song  con- 
tinued and  the  boys  danced  higher  and  higher. 

Again  the  mother  cried,  "Oh,  my  eldest  son,  will  you 
not  return?"  But  the  eldest  son  would  not  listen,  though 
his  heart  was  touched.  Then  the  mother  screamed,  "Oh 
my  eldest  son,  will  you  not  hear  your  mother's  voice  ?  Only 
look  down  to  me !"  Then  was  the  oldest  son's  heart  touched 

1  Related  by  Edward  Cornplanter. 

2  Cf.    Barbeau,  Origin  of  Seven  Stars,  Huron  Mythology,  p.  59. 

83 


84 


8ENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


very  deeply,  but  he  did  not  respond,  for  fear  of  making 
his  brothers  weak. 

"Oh  my  brothers,"  he  called.  "Heed  no  sounds  from  the 
earth  but  continue  dacing.  If  you  look  down  you  shall 
fall  and  never  more  be  able  to  dance." 

The  mother  now  gave  a  heart-broken  cry  and  called; 
"Oh  my  first  born  son,  give  your  mother  one  look, — one 
last  look  or  I  die !"  This  weakened  the  heart  of  the  oldest 
son  and  he  looked  down  toward  the  figure  of  his  mother 
with  outstretched  arms,  weeping  for  him. 

As  he  looked  he  lost  his  power  to  master  the  air,  and 
began  to  fall.  With  great  rapidity  he  fell  until  he  struck 
the  earth  and  penetrated  it,  leaving  only  a  scar  where  the 
soil  came  together  again. 

The  mother  rushed  to  the  spot  and  swept  aside  the 
rubbish,  but  no  trace  of  her  son  could  she  find.  Finally 
looking  up  she  saw  her  other  boys  dancing  far  up  in  the 
sky.   They  had  become  the  "dancing  stars." 

In  deep  sorrow  the  mother  with  covered  head  sat  beside 
the  spot  where  her  first  born  had  fallen.  For  a  whole  year 
she  wept  as  she  watched. 

Winter  came  and  her  dancing  boys  appeared  over  the 
council  house  and  each  night  were  observed  overhead,  but 
no  sign  of  her  eldest  could  be  seen. 

Came  springtime  and  the  time  of  budding  plants.  From 
the  spot  where  the  eldest  had  disappeared  a  tiny  green  shoot 
appeared.  This  the  mother  watched  with  great  solicitude. 
It  grew  into  a  tall  tree  and  became  the  first  pine.  This 
tree  was  guarded  by  the  melancholy  old  woman  and  she 
would  allow  no  man  to  touch  it ;  she  knew  that  it  was  her 
son  and  would  sometime  speak  to  her. 

The  winds  blew  and  the  tree  swayed,  it  began  to  speak, 
and  the  mother  heard.  Only  she  could  interpret  the  sounds 
that  came  from  the  waving  branches,  only  she  could  see 
the  face  of  the  young  warrior  with  his  plumes. 

A  careless  hunter  slashed  at  the  tree  and  blood  flowed, 


THE  DANCING  BROTHERS 


85 


but  the  mother  bound  up  the  wound  and  drove  other 
intruders  away.  In  time  the  tree  bore  small  short  feathers 
(cones),  and  more  trees  grew.  These  the  hunters  slashed 
in  order  to  get  pitch  for  canoes  and  ropes. 

Every  winter  the  pine  tree  talked  to  its  dancing  brothers 
in  the  sky  and  the  mother  knew  that  her  eldest  son  should  be 
her  comfort  while  she  rested  on  this  earth. 

GENERAL  NOTES.  This  legend  I  had  from  Edward  Cornplanter 
but  being  so  familiar  with  it  I  made  only  a  few  rough  notes  which  I 
have  transcribed.  This  myth  is  similar  to  the  Huron  and  Wyandot 
forms  recounting  the  origin  of  "the  cluster." 


6.    THE  SEVEN  STAR  DANCERS.1 


Now  this  even  happened  a  long  time  ago  in  the  days 
when  the  whole  world  was  new.  Our  Creator  it  was 
(S'hongwadiennu'k'daon),  had  finished  his  work. 

One  of  the  first  men  beings  lived  with  his  nephew  in 
a  lodge  near  a  river.  The  river  was  broad  and  had  a  wide 
sandy  shore.  The  nephew  received  the  name  Djinaeh"da' 
and  his  uncle  sent  him  away  to  dream  on  the  shore  of  the 
river,  there  to  stay  and  dream  until  his  dream-helpers 
appeared.  For  a  long  time  he  did  not  eat,  but  drank  water 
and  sweat  himself  in  a  sweat  lodge. 

One  night  he  thought  that  he  saw  a  light  upon  the 
water  and  he  looked  and  saw  lights  moving  toward  him. 
Hiding  in  the  reeds  on  the  shore  he  watched.  Soon  he  saw 
seven  shining  young  women  dancing2  in  the  water  against 
the  shore  and  they  made  no  splashing  but  went  up  and 
down.  He  heard  them  speak  but  could  not  understand  what 
they  said.  He  observed  them  all  intently,  for  all  were  with- 
out clothing  and  were  very  beautiful  of  body.  The  youngest 
appeared  the  most  beautiful  of  all.  The  young  man  watched 
her  and  thought  that  she  would  do  for  a  wife. 

Hoping  to  catch  her  he  rushed  out  from  his  hiding  place 
but  the  maidens  were  alarmed  and  leaped  into  a  great  corn 
basket  and  were  drawn  rapidly  up  into  the  sky  and  he 
looked  and  said,  "They  are  dancing,"  (De'hohnont'gwe11'). 

DjinaeiY'da.'  (Elk)  continued  his  vigil  and  the  next  night 
he  saw  the  dancers  swing  back  over  the  water  in  their 
basket.  Soon  they  came  to  the  shore  and  alighted.  Again 
he  heard  their  voices  and  again  they  began  their  bewitching 
dance.  Djinaenda's  eyes  were  upon  the  youngest  dancer 
and  she  appeared  more  beautiful  than  ever.  He  waited 
until  she  danced  very  near  to  him  and  away  from  the 

1  The  Pleiades. 

2  Cf.    Barbeau,  C.  M.,  Huron  and  Wyandot  Mythology,  p.  56. 

86 


THE  SEVEN  STAR  DANCERS 


87 


basket,  then  he  rushed  out  from  his  hiding-place  and  pur- 
sued the  maidens,  at  length  grasping  the  youngest  before 
she  touched  the  basket,  but  she  gave  a  leap,  and  the  youth 
holding  to  her  was  drawn  upward  as  she  fell  into  the  basket. 
She  looked  to  see  who  held  her  so  tightly  and  immediately 
both  fell  to  the  earth. 

The  maiden  gazed  upon  Djinaenda  and  asked  him  what 
he  wanted.  "I  want  to  marry  you,"  he  said.  "You  have 
caused  me  to  love  you." 

"Then  we  shall  be  married,"  said  the  maiden,  but  we 
must  return  to  the  sky  and  prepare  for  living  upon  the 
earth."  So  the  basket  came  down  and  drew  them  into  the 
sky. 

Djinaenda  was  taken  to  the  lodge  of  the  dancing  sisters 
and  then  led  to  the  lodge  of  a  great  chief  who  caused  him 
to  recline  upon  the  ground.  The  chief  then  took  him 
apart,  joint  by  joint  and  removed  all  his  organs.  After 
cleansing  them  he  replaced  them  and  Djinaenda  was  regen- 
erated. He  now  felt  very  strong  and  able  to  do  mighty 
things. 

His  bride  now  came  to  him  and  said  that  she  would  now 
return  to  the  earth  with  him  and  live  as  his  wife.  The 
sisters  then  placed  the  couple  in  the  basket  and  lowered 
them  to  the  earth.  They  came  down  on  the  beach  of  the 
river  but  it  was  changed  and  there  was  a  great  village  of 
men  beings  there. 

Djinaenda  inquired  where  his  uncle  lived  but  no  one 
knew.  Finally  an  old  man  said,  "An  old  man  such  as  you 
describe  lived  in  the  woods  with  his  nephew  near  this 
place  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago." 

The  couple  now  tried  to  live  contentedly  but  could  not 
understand  the  ways  of  the  people,  and  so,,  in  time  the  two 
returned  to  the  sky.  The  wife  rejoined  her  sisters  but  she 
had  lost  her  brightness,  and  Djinaenda  roamed  the  sky 
world  hunting  game  which  he  captured  by  running  it  down. 

My  grandmother  told  me  that  they  are  up  there  yet. 


7.    THE  COMING  OF  SPRING.1 

In  the  ancient  times  when  this  world  was  new  an  old 
man  wandered  over  the  land  in  search  of  a  suitable  camping 
spot.  He  was  a  fierce  old  man  and  had  long  white  flowing 
hair.  The  ground  grew  hard  like  flint  where  his  footsteps 
fell,  and  when  he  breathed  the  leaves  and  grasses  dropped 
and  dried  up  red,  and  fell.  When  he  splashed  through  the 
rivers  the  water  stopped  running  and  stood  solid. 

On  and  on  the  old  man  journeyed  until  at  last  on  the 
shores  of  a  great  lake  by  a  high  mountain  he  halted.  He 
gathered  the  trees  that  had  been  uprooted  by  hurricanes 
and  made  a  framework  for  a  dwelling.  He  built  the  walls 
of  ice  and  plastered  the  crevices  with  branches  and  snow. 
Then,  to  guard  his  lodge  against  the  intruder,  he  placed  up- 
rooted stumps  about  on  every  side.  Not  even  bad  animals 
cared  to  enter  this  house.  Everything  living  passed  by  it 
at  a  distance.  It  was  like  a  magician's  house. 

The  old  man  had  but  one  friend.  It  was  North  Wind, 
and  it  was  he  alone  who  might  enter  the  door  of  the  strong- 
hold and  sit  by  the  fire.  Very  wonderful  was  this  fire  and 
it  gave  flames  and  light  but  no  heat !  But  even  North  Wind 
found  little  time  to  enter  and  smoke  with  the  old  man,  for 
he  took  greater  pleasure  in  piling  high  the  snow  and  driving 
hail,  like  flints,  against  the  shivering  deer  or  hungry  storm 
bound  hunter.  He  liked  to  kill  them.  There  came  times, 
however,  when  North  Wind  needed  new  tricks  and  so  he 
sought  the  advice  of  the  old  man, — how  he  might  pile  up 
the  snow  banks  higher,  how  he  might  cause  famine  or  make 
great  snow-slides  to  bury  Indian  villages. 

One  very  dismal  night  both  North  Wind  and  the  old 
man  sat  smoking;  half  awake  and  half  dreaming.  North 
Wind  could  think  of  nothing  new  and  the  old  man  could 
give  no  more  advice.    So,  sitting  before  the  fire,  both  fell 


l    Related  by  Aurelia  Miller,  Jan.,  1905. 

88 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 


89 


asleep.  Towards  morning  each  sprang  to  his  feet  with  a 
cry.  Not  their  usual  cries,  either,  were  their  startled  yells, 
for  instead  of  a  shrill  "agee !  agee !  agee !"  the  North  Wind 
only  gasped  hoarsely  and  the  old  man's  jaw  opened  with  a 
smack  and  his  tongue,  thick  and  swollen  rolled  out  on  his 
chin.   Then  spoke  the  North  Wind  : 

"What  warm  thing  has  bewitched  me?  The  drifts  are 
sinking,  the  rivers  breaking,  the  ice  is  steaming,  the  snow 
is  smoking!" 

The  old  man  was  silent,  too  sleepy  to  speak.  He  only 
thought  "My  house  is  strong,  very  strong."  Still  the  North 
Wind  called  loudly : 

"See,  the  rivers  are  swelling  full,  the  drifts  are  getting 
smaller." 

Then  he  rushed  from  the  lodge,  and  he  flew  to  the 
mountain  top  where  snow  made  him  brave  again.  So  he 
was  happy  and  sang  a  war  song  as  he  danced  on  snow  crust. 

At  the  lodge  of  the  old  man  a  stranger  struck  the  door- 
post. The  old  man  did  not  move,  but  dozing,  thought,  "oh 
some  prank  of  North  Wind."  The  knocking  continued  and 
the  old  man  grew  more  sleepy.  The  door  rattled  on  its 
fastenings  but  the  old  man's  head  did  not  raise  to  listen  but 
dropped  on  his  chest  and  his  pipe  fell  down  to  his  feet. 

The  logs  of  the  lodge  frame  shook, — one  fell  from  the 
roof.   The  old  man  jumped  to  his  feet  with  a  war  yell. 

"Who  is  it  that  dares  come  to  my  house  in  this  way? 
Only  my  friend  North  Wind  enters  here.  Go  away,  no 
loafers  here !" 

In  answer  the  door  fell  down  and  a  stranger  stood  in 
the  opening.  He  entered  and  hung  the  door  upright  again. 
His  face  was  smiling  and  as  he  stirred  the  fire,  it  grew 
warmer  inside.  The  old  man  looked  at  the  stranger  but 
did  not  answer  his  pleasant  words,  but  his  heart  was  very 
angry.  Finally  when  he  could  no  longer  keep  silent  he 
burst  forth : 

"You  are  a  stranger  to  me  and  have  entered  my  lodge, 


90 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


breaking  down  my  door.  Why  have  you  broken  down  my 
door?  Why  have  your  eyes  a  fire?  Why  does  light  shine 
from  your  skin?  Why  do  you  go  about  without  skins 
when  the  wind  is  sharp?  Why  do  you  stir  up  my  fire 
when  you  are  young  and  need  no  warmth?  Why  do  you 
not  fall  on  my  wolf  skins  and  sleep?  Did  not  North  Wind 
blow  the  sun  far  away?  Go  away  now  before  he  returns, 
and  blows  you  against  the  mountains.  I  do  not  know  you. 
You  do  not  belong  in  my  lodge !" 

The  young  stranger  laughed  and  said,  "Oh  why  not  let 
me  stay  a  little  longer  and  smoke  my  pipe?" 

"Then  listen  to  me,"  yelled  the  old  man  in  anger.  "I 
am  mighty !  All  snows  and  ice  and  frosts  are  my  making. 
I  tell  the  North  Wind  to  cut  the  skins  of  men  to  let  the 
blood  through  to  make  war  paint  on  the  drifts.  I  tell  him 
to  freeze  things  that  are  food.  Birds  and  animals  run  away 
from  the  North  Wind.  I  pile  the  drifts  on  the  rocks  on  the 
mountains  and  when  it  gets  very  high  the  North  Wind 
knocks  it  off  to  crush  the  villages  beneath." 

Listlessly  the  stranger  viewed  the  raving  old  man,  and 
only  smiled  and  said,  "I  like  to  be  sociable,  let  me  stay  a 
little  longer  and  we  will  smoke  together." 

So,  shaking  with  fear,  the  old  man  took  the  pipe  and 
drew  a  breath  of  smoke  and  then  the  warrior  sang. 

"Continue  to  smoke  for  me,  I  am  young  and  warm,  I 
am  not  afraid  of  boasting,  I  am  young  and  strong.  Better 
wrap  up,  you  are  old.  I  am  here.  I  am  here,  keep  on 
smoking.  I  am  Dedio's'nwineq'do11,  the  Spring.  Look  at 
your  hair  it  is  falling  out,  look  at  the  drifts,  they  are  melt- 
ing. My  hair  is  long  and  glossy,  see — the  grasses  are  sprout- 
ing !  I  want  to  smoke  with  you.  I  like  smoking.  See — 
the  ground  is  smoking!  My  friend  Daga'en"da,  the  South 
Wind,  is  coming.  I  guess  your  friend  is  dead.  You  had 
better  wrap  up  and  go  away.  There  is  a  place.  You 
cannot  own  all  things  always.  See — the  sun  is  shining. 
Look  out  now !" 


THE  COMING  OF  SPRING 


91 


As  the  young  warrior  sang  the  old  man  shrank  very 
small  and  shriveled  up  smaller  until  his  voice  only  whis- 
pered, "I  don't  know  you  !" 

And  so  the  young  warrior  sang,  "I  am  the  Spring,  I  am 
the  chief  now.  The  South  Wind  is  coming.  Don't  be  late. 
You  can  go  yet  while  I  sing." 

A  rushing  wind  made  the  lodge  tremble,  the  door  fell  in 
and  an  eagle  swooped  down  and  carried  Ha"t'howa'ne' 
away  toward  the  north. 

The  lodge  fire  was  out  and  where  it  had  burned  a  plant 
was  growing  and  where  the  provisions  were  buried  in  a 
hole  a  tree  was  starting  to  have  buds. 

The  sun  was  shining  and  it  was  warm.  The  swollen 
rivers  carried  away  the  ice.  So  the  winter  went  away  and 
in  the  morning  it  was  spring  time. 


8.    THE  COMING  OF  DEATH. 

When  the  world  was  first  made  men-beings  did  not 
know  that  they  must  die  sometime. 

In  those  days  everyone  was  happy  and  neither  men  and 
women  nor  children  were  afraid  of  anything.  They  did 
not  think  of  anything  but  doing  what  pleased  them.  At  one 
time,  in  those  days,  a  prominent  man  was  found  prone  upon 
the  grass.  He  was  limp  and  had  no  breath.  He  did  not 
breathe.  The  men-beings  that  saw  him  did  not  know  what 
had  happened.  The  man  was  not  asleep  because  he  did  not 
awaken.  When  they  placed  him  on  his  feet  he  fell  like  a 
tanned  skin.  He  was  limp.  They  tried  many  days  to  make 
him  stand  but  he  would  not.  After  a  number  of  days  he 
became  offensive. 

A  female  man-being  said  that  the  man  must  be  wrapped 
up  and  put  in  the  limbs  of  a  tree.  So  the  men  did  so  and 
after  a  while  the  flesh  dropped  from  the  bones  and  some 
dried  on.  No  one  knew  what  had  happened  to  cause  such 
a  thing. 

Soon  afterward  a  child  was  found  in  the  same  condition. 
It  had  no  breath.  It  could  not  stand.  It  was  not  asleep, 
so  they  said.  The  men-beings  thought  it  was  strange  that  a 
girl  man-being  should  act  this  way.  So  she  was  laid  in  a 
tree. 

Now  many  others  did  these  things  and  no  one  knew 
why.  No  one  thought  that  he  himself  would  do  such  a 
thing. 

There  was  one  wise  man  who  thought  much  about  these 
things  and  he  had  a  dream.  When  he  slept  the  Good  Minded 
Spirit  came  to  him  and  spoke.  He  slept  a  long  time  but 
the  other  men-beings  noticed  that  he  breathed  slowly.  He 
breathed  (nevertheless).  Now  after  a  time  this  man  rose 
up  and  his  face  was  very  solemn.    He  called  the  people 

92 


THE  COMING  OF  DEATH 


93 


together  in  a  council  and  addressed  the  people.  The  head 
men  all  sat  around  with  the  people. 

The  wise  man  spoke  and  he  said,  "The  Good  Minded 
spirit  made  every  good  thing  and  prepared  the  earth  for 
men-beings.  Now  it  appears  that  strange  events  have  hap- 
pened. A  good  word  has  come  to  me  from  the  Good 
Minded  spirit.  He  says  that  every  person  must  do  as  you 
have  seen  the  other  persons  do.  They  have  died.  They  do 
not  breathe.  It  will  be  the  same  with  all  of  you.  Your 
minds  are  strong.  The  Good  Minded  spirit  made  them  that 
way  so  that  you  could  endure  everything  that  happened. 
So  then  do  not  be  downcast  when  I  tell  you  all  must  die. 
Listen  further  to  what  I  say.  The  name  of  the  one  that 
steals  away  your  breath  is  Shondowekowa.  He  has  no  face 
and  does  not  see  anyone.  You  cannot  see  him  until  he 
grasps  you.  He  comes  sometimes  for  a  visit  and  sometimes 
he  stays  with  us  until  many  are  dead.  Sometimes  he  takes 
away  the  best  men  and  women  and  passes  by  the  lesser 
ones.  I  was  not  told  why  he  does  this  thing.  He  wants  to 
destroy  every  person.  He  will  continue  to  work  forever. 
Every  one  who  hears  me  and  every  one  not  yet  born  will 
die.  There  is  more  about  you  than  living.  Any  moment 
you  may  be  snatched  by  Shondowekowa,  he  who  works  in 
the  thick  darkness. 

"You  must  now  divide  yourselves  into  nine  bands,  five 
to  sit  on  one  side  of  the  fire  and  four  on  the  other  and 
these  bands  shall  care  for  its  members.  You  must  seek  out 
all  good  things  and  instruct  one  another,  and  those  who  do 
good  things  will  see  the  place  where  the  Maker  of  all 
things  lives  when  their  breath  goes  out  of  their  body". 


BOYS  WHO  DEFIED  MAGIC  AND 
OVERCAME  IT 


V. 


9.   ORIGIN  OF  FOLK  STORIES 

There  was  once  a  boy  who  had  no  home.  His  parents 
were  dead  and  his  uncles  would  not  care  for  him.  In  order 
to  live  this  boy,  whose  name  was  Gaqka,  or  Crow,  made  a 
bower  of  branches  for  an  abiding  place  and  hunted  birds 
and  squirrels  for  food. 

He  had  almost  no  clothing  but  was  very  ragged  and 
dirty.  When  the  people  from  the  village  saw  him  they 
called  him  Filth-Covered-One,  and  laughed  as  they  passed 
by,  holding  their  noses.  No  one  thought  he  would  ever 
amount  to  anything,  which  made  him  feel  heavy-hearted. 
He  resolved  to  go  away  from  his  tormentors  and  become  a 
great  hunter. 

One  night  Gaqka  found  a  canoe.  He  had  never  seen 
this  canoe  before,  so  he  took  it.  Stepping  in  he  grasped  the 
paddle,  when  the  canoe  immediately  shot  into  the  air,  and 
he  paddled  above  the  clouds  and  under  the  moon.  For  a 
long  time  he  went  always  southward.  Finally  the  canoe 
dropped  into  a  river  and  then  Gaqka  paddled  for  shore. 

On  the  other  side  of  the  river  was  a  great  cliff  that  had 
a  face  that  looked  like  a  man.  It  was  at  the  forks  of  the 
river  where  this  cliff  stood.  The  boy  resolved  to  make  his 
home  on  the  top  of  the  cliff  and  so  climbed  it  and  built  a 
bark  cabin. 

The  first  night  he  sat  on  the  edge  of  the  cliff  he  heard 
a  voice  saying,  "Give  me  some  tobacco."  Looking  around 
the  boy,  seeing  no  one,  replied,  "Why  should  I  give  to- 
bacco ?" 

There  was  no  answer  and  the  boy  began  to  fix  his  arrows 
for  the  next  day's  hunt.  After  a  while  the  voice  spoke 
again,  "Give  me  some  tobacco." 

97 


98 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Gaqka  now  took  out  some  tobacco  and  threw  it  over  the 
cliff.   The  voice  spoke  again :  "Now  I  will  tell  you  a  story." 

Feeling  greatly  awed  the  boy  listened  to  a  story  that 
seemed  to  come  directly  out  of  the  rock  upon  which  he  was 
sitting.  Finally  the  voice  paused,  for  the  story  had  ended. 
Then  it  spoke  again  saying,  "It  shall  be  the  custom  here- 
after to  present  me  with  a  small  gift  for  my  stories."  So 
the  boy  gave  the  rock  a  few  bone  beads.  Then  the  rock 
said,  "Hereafter  when  I  speak,  announcing  that  I  shall  tell 
a  story  you  must  say,  'Nio,'  and  as  I  speak  you  must  say 
'He11",'  that  I  may  know  that  you  are  listening.  You  must 
never  fall  asleep  but  continue  to  listen  until  I  say  'Da'neho 
nigaga'is.'  (So  thus  finished  is  the  length  of  my  story). 
Then  you  shall  give  me  presents  and  I  shall  be  satisfied." 

The  next  day  the  boy  hunted  and  killed  a  great  many 
birds.  These  he  made  into  soup  and  roasts.  He  skinned 
the  birds  and  saved  the  skins,  keeping  them  in  a  bag. 

That  evening  the  boy  sat  on  the  rock  again  and  looked 
westward  at  the  sinking  sun.  He  wondered  if  his  friend 
would  speak  again.  While  waiting  he  chipped  some  new 
arrow-points,  and  made  them  very  small  so  that  he  could 
use  them  in  a  blow  gun.  Suddenly,  as  he  worked,  he  heard 
the  voice  again.  "Give  me  some  tobacco  to  smoke,"  it  said. 
Gaqka  threw  a  pinch  of  tobacco  over  the  cliff  and  the  voice 
said,  "Hau'nio","  and  commenced  a  story.  Long  into  the 
night  one  wonderful  tale  after  another  flowed  from  the 
rock,  until  it  called  out,  "So  thus  finished  is  the  length  of 
my  story."  Gaqka  was  sorry  to  have  the  stories  ended  but 
he  gave  the  rock  an  awl  made  from  a  bird's  leg  and  a  pinch 
of  tobacco. 

The  next  day  the  boy  hunted  far  to  the  east  and  there 
found  a  village.  Nobody  knew  who  he  was  but  he  soon 
found  many  friends.  There  were  some  hunters  who  offered 
to  teach  him  how  to  kill  big  game,  and  these  went  with  him 
to  his  own  camp  on  the  high  rock.  At  night  he  allowed 
them  to  listen  to  the  stories  that  came  forth  from  the  rock, 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  FOLK  TALES 


99 


but  it  would  speak  only  when  Gaqka  was  present.  He 
therefore  had  many  friends  with  whom  to  hunt. 

Now  after  a  time  Gaqka  made  a  new  suit  of  clothing 
from  deer  skin  and  desired  to  obtain  a  decorated  pouch. 
He,  therefore,  went  to  the  village  and  found  one  house 
where  there  were  two  daughters  living  with  an  old  mother. 
He  asked  that  a  pouch  be  made  and  the  youngest  daughter 
spoke  up  and  said,  "It  is  now  finished.  I  have  been  waiting 
for  you  to  come  for  it."  So  she  gave  him  a  handsome 
pouch. 

Then  the  old  mother  spoke,  saying,  "I  now  perceive 
that  my  future  son-in-low  has  passed  through  the  door  and 
is  here."  Soon  thereafter,  the  younger  woman  brought 
Gaqka  a  basket  of  bread  and  said,  "My  mother  greatly 
desires  that  you  should  marry  me."  Gaqka  looked  at  the 
girl  and  was  satisfied,  and  ate  the  bread.  The  older  daugh- 
ter was  greatly  displeased  and  frowned  in  an  evil  manner. 

That  night  the  bride  said  to  her  husband,  "We  must 
now  go  away.  My  older  sister  will  kill  you  for  she  is 
jealous."  So  Gaqka  arose  and  took  his  bride  to  his  own 
lodge.  Soon  the  rock  spoke  and  began  to  relate  wonder 
stories  of  things  that  happened  in  the  old  days.  The  bride 
was  not  surprised,  but  said,  "This  standing  rock,  indeed,  is 
my  grandfather.  I  will  now  present  you  with  a  pouch  into 
which  you  must  put  a  trophy  for  every  tale  related." 

All  winter  long  the  young  couple  stayed  in  the  lodge  on 
the  great  rock  and  heard  all  the  wonder  tales  of  the  old 
days.  Gaqka's  bag  was  full  of  stories  and  he  knew  all  the 
lore  of  former  times. 

As  springtime  came  the  bride  said,  "We  must  now  go 
north  to  your  own  people  and  you  shall  become  a  great 
man."  But  Gaqka  was  sad  and  said,  "Alas,  in  my  own 
country  I  am  an  outcast  and  called  by  an  unpleasant  name." 

The  bride  only  laughed,  saying,  "Nevertheless  we  shall 
go  north." 

Taking  their  pelts  and  birdskins,  the  young  couple  de- 


100 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


scended  the  cliff  and  seated  themselves  in  the  canoe.  "This 
is  my  canoe,"  said  the  bride.  "I  sent  it  through  the  air  to 
you." 

The  bride  seated  herself  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe  and 
Gaqka  in  the  stern.  Grasping  a  paddle  he  swept  it  through 
the  water,  but  soon  the  canoe  arose  and  went  through  the 
air.  Meanwhile  the  bride  was  singing  all  kinds  of  songs, 
which  Gaqka  learned  as  he  paddled. 

When  they  reached  the  north,  the  bride  said,  "Now  I 
shall  remove  your  clothing  and  take  all  the  scars  from  your 
face  and  body.  She  then  caused  him  to  pass  through  a 
hollow  log,  and  when  Gaqka  emerged  from  the  other  end 
he  was  dressed  in  the  finest  clothing  and  was  a  handsome 
man. 

Together  the  two  walked  to  the  village  where  the  people 
came  out  to  see  them.  After  a  while  Gaqka  said,  "I  am  the 
boy  whom  you  once  were  accustomed  to  call  'Cia"d6da'.'  I 
have  now  returned."  That  night  the  people  of  the  village 
gathered  around  and  listened  to  the  tales  he  told,  and  he 
instructed  them  to  give  him  small  presents  and  tobacco.  He 
would  plunge  his  hand  in  his  pouch  and  take  out  a  trophy, 
saying,  "Ho  ho' !  So  here  is  another  one  !"  and  then  looking 
at  his  trophy  would  relate  an  ancient  tale. 

Everybody  now  thought  Gaqka  a  great  man  and  listened 
to  his  stories.  He  was  the  first  man  to  find  out  all  about  the 
adventures  of  the  old-time  people.  That  is  why  there  are 
so  many  legends  now. 


io.    THE  FORBIDDEN  ARROW  AND  THE  QUILT 
OF  MEN'S  EYES.1 


Now  (it  seems),  there  were  twin  brothers  one  named 
Younger  and  the  other  Driven.  The  brothers  were  accus- 
tomed to  play  about  two  hills.  Driven  would  go  up  one 
hill  and  jump  to  the  summit  of  the  other.  Younger  would 
stay  in  the  valley  between  and  amuse  himself  by  shooting 
arrows  at  him  as  he  jumped.  Now  as  Driven  jumped 
Younger  sang  a  song : 

"Ha-do-wi,  Ha-do-wi,  Ha-do-wi,  Ha-do-wi, 
O-ne-dii-no-o^ha-ga-gon  Ha-do-wi!" 

Now  their  grandmother  always  forbade  them  to  use  a 
certain  arrow.  This  arrow  belonged  to  their  father  who 
used  it.  They  played  day  after  day  in  this  manner.  After 
some  time  they  began  to  discuss  among  themselves  why  it 
was  that  their  grandmother  had  forbidden  them  to  use  the 
arrow.  Then  they  decided  notwithstanding  to  use  the 
arrow.  So  Driven  ascended  the  hill  and  made  ready  to 
jump.  Then  Younger  fixed  his  arrow  ready  to  shoot.  Then 
Driven  jumped  and  Younger  shot  the  arrow.  Now  an 
arrow  never  before  had  struck  Driven  as  he  jumped  but 
this  forbidden  arrow  pierced  his  body  and  carried  him  in 
a  northward  direction.  Now  as  he  flew  with  the  arrow 
the  arrow  sang, 

"'Gwent-gwe-o,  gwent-gwe-o,  ©went-gw&-o!" 
because  it  was  feathered  with  the  feathers  of  a  wild  duck. 
When  Younger  saw  what  calamity  his  arrow  had  wrought 
he  gave  a  scream  of  alarm  and  started  off  in  the  direction 
of  the  arrow.  He  ran  a  long  distance  and  after  some  time 
found  the  body  of  his  brother  transfixed  to  the  earth  with 
the  arrow.  He  was  not  dead  so  he  lifted  him  up  and  placed 
him  on  his  back.  Then  Driven  directed  him  to  follow  a 
northward  road. 

l  Related  by  Edward  Cornplanter  (Great  Night)  and  recorded  as 
translated  by  William  Bluesky,  Ganosho. 

101 


102 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"There  is  a  house  a  certain  distance  away,"  said  Driven, 
"where  a  number  of  women  are  gathered  dancing.  We 
must  pass  this  house  but  we  must  not  look  upon  them.  Oh 
brother,  cast  not  your  eyes  upon  one  of  them  \" 

Now  as  they  passed  along  they  heard  the  women  singing. 
They  heard  the  echo  of  the  songs  and  the  sound  of  dancing. 
Soon  they  came  near  the  house  and  the  women  saw  them 
and  called  out  inviting  them  to  look  up  and  see  them.  "Oh 
what  have  you  on  your  back  ?  Look  up  and  behold  us !" 
Now  Younger  did  not  look  up  nor  did  he  make  reply  for 
he  knew  that  the  women  were  witches  and  that  one  glance 
of  their  eyes  would  be  fatal  to  him.  So  when  he  passed 
by  he  kept  his  eyes  directed  to  the  ground  and  stooped  over. 
So  then  they  were  safe. 

Now  again  the  brother  spoke  and  said,  "There  is  yet 
one  more  danger  and  it  is  the  last.  It  may  be  fatal.  A 
company  of  women  is  making  a  quilt  of  young  men's  eyes. 
They  gouge  out  the  eyes  of  young  men  and  sew  them  into 
a  blanket  (quilt).  Now  the  eyes  live  and  wink  as  in  life 
for  the  skin  of  the  eyelids  are  with  the  eyes.  Now  we  must 
pass  through  their  lodge  and  if  we  can  do  so  without  look- 
ing at  the  awful  quilt  we  will  be  safe  then." 

Now  the  lodge  was  a  long  one  and  when  the  two  brothers 
entered  the  women  saw  them  and  said,  "Bend  not  so  low. 
Look  up  and  see  the  beautiful  quilt  we  are  making.  It  is 
beautiful.  What  is  it  that  you  have  upon  your  back  ?  Look 
up !"  Younger  gave  no  heed  to  the  words  of  the  women 
but  continued  through  the  room.  They  were  about  to 
emerge  from  the  door  at  the  back  when  one  woman  held 
the  quilt  before  the  eyes  of  Younger.  She  held  it  where 
he  saw  it.  Then  Younger  saw  no  more.  He  was  blind  and 
he  had  no  eyes  in  his  eye  sockets ;  they  had  jumped  out 
and  into  the  quilt.  Driven  leaped  from  his  back  and 
jumped  out  of  the  door.  He  did  not  know  where  Driven 
went. 

Now  Younger  could  not  see,  so  he  crept  on  his  hands 


THE  FORBIDDEN  ARROW 


103 


and  knees.  He  crept  a  long  ways  and  after  a  time  he  came 
to  a  place  where  corn  was  planted.  There  he  halted  for  he 
thought  that  some  one  would  surely  notice  him  when  they 
came  to  examine  the  corn.  So  he  lay  down  there,  and  there 
he  lay  day  after  day.  After  a  long  time  he  heard  the  sound 
of  a  woman's  voice  singing.  And  soon  the  woman  saw 
him  and  was  surprised  to  find  a  man  in  the  field.  She  ran 
home  to  her  sister  and  told  her  that  a  man  was  in  the  field 
and  that  he  had  no  eyes  in  his  eye  sockets.  He  was  a 
human  being,  blind  and  alive.  His  eye  sockets  were  hollow. 
Then  the  older  sister  said,  "We  must  not  leave  a  human 
being  in  distress.  We  must  take  him  into  our  house  and 
nurse  him  to  health.  He  will  be  a  companion  for  us.  We 
are  alone."  So  they  went  and  found  him  and  brought  him 
to  their  house.  They  cleansed  him  and  fed  him  on  bear's 
oil,  for  he  had  not  eaten  for  a  long  time.  Afterwards  he 
was  given  stronger  food.  They  gave  him  nourishment  until 
he  was  stronger.  After  a  time  he  grew  strong  and  then 
they  asked  him  how  he  came  to  be  in  so  bad  a  condition. 
So  he  related  how  it  happened. 

"I  was  passing  through  a  house,"  he  said,  "and  there 
were  women  within  making  a  quilt  of  young  men's  eyes. 
They  put  the  quilt  under  my  face  and  I  saw  and  then  I 
became  blind.  My  brother  was  on  my  back  for  an  arrow 
was  through  him.  He  disappeared.  I  know  not  where  my 
brother  is.    So  did  the  accident  happen." 

Now  Younger  recovered  his  strength  and  then  the  older 
sister  said,  "You  must  marry  my  younger  sister  and  live 
here  as  our  companion."  So  he  consented  and  married  the 
younger  sister. 

Now  it  appeared  that  after  a  certain  time  his  wife  gave 
birth  to  twins,  boys.  The  older  one  they  named  Hanonni-da, 
meaning,  he  is  a  thistle,  and  the  younger  one  they  called 
Ho-da-da-o  meaning,  he  cries.  At  the  time  of  their  birth 
the  older  sister  called  out  their  names  and  tossed  them  into 
the  adjoining  room.   Then  she  told  the  husband  that  he  was 


104 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  father  of  twins  and  he  gave  thanks.  Now  the  children 
seemed  to  be  wizards.  They  did  not  suckle  but  played  alone 
together  in  the  room.  No  one  talked  to  them  but  they 
talked.  After  a  time  they  asked  for  a  net  ball  that  they 
might  play  lacrosse.  So  a  net,  a  net-club  and  ball  were 
brought  to  them.  Then  they  played  lacrosse  in  the  room. 
Then  they  went  out  doors  and  played  and  again  they  went 
into  the  ground  under  the  house  and  played.  After  a  time 
they  asked  for  bows  and  arrows.  Then  they  went  away 
for  long  periods  of  time,  no  one  knew  where.  After  a  time 
the  older  sister  brought  them  into  the  living  room  and  said, 
"It  is  time  for  you  to  see  your  father."  So  they  said,  "We 
will  see  our  father."  Then  the  father  felt  over  them  for 
the  first  time  and  touched  them.  They  climbed  over  his 
lap  and  played  with  him.  After  a  time  they  began  to  laugh 
at  him  and  the  Last  said,  "How  can  he  be  my  father  since 
he  has  no  eyes?  I  believe  that  he  is  not  my  father."  Then 
he  asked  his  father,  "Where  are  your  eyes?"  Then  the 
father  answered  him,  "In  a  certain  place  there  are  women 
making  a  quilt  from  young  men's  eyes.  Once  I  had  to  pass 
through  their  house  and  I  would  not  look  upon  the  quilt 
but  they  forced  it  under  my  face  and  that  was  the  last  that 
I  saw.  My  brother  was  on  my  back  and  he  jumped.  Now 
I  know  not  where  my  brother  is.  He  has  gone  from  me." 
The  Last  replied,  "Father,  we  will  go  there  and  get  back 
your  eyes."  But  the  older  folk  said,  "Do  not  try,  the  women 
are  horrible  witches  and  we  would  lose  you.  We  forbid 
you  to  go.  So  do  not  go."  So  the  boys  went  out  and  played 
together. 

The  two  sisters  went  out  after  a  time  to  get  provisions 
and  the  father  was  left  alone  with  the  boys.  He  heard  them 
talking  together.  It  was  strange  and  he  did  not  understand 
them.  "Hang  on,  hang  on,"  they  were  saying.  "Hang  on 
and  after  a  time  we  will  reach  where  father  is  and  he  will 
help  us."  So  they  talked  and  pulled  and  called  out  each 
other's  names.   Now  it  happened  that  they  took  their  father 


THE  FORBIDDEN  ARROW 


105 


by  the  hand  and  placed  upon  him  the  body  of  a  human 
being.  They  had  pulled  it  up  through  the  ground.  Now 
the  body  of  the  man  they  had,  had  an  arrow  in  his  chest. 
Also  he  had  no  eyes  in  his  eye-sockets  and  he  was  nearly 
dead.  The  man  was  the  father's  brother.  Then  the  children 
said,  "We  will  go  and  borrow  some  eyes  for  you  that  you 
may  look  upon  each  other."  So  they  went  into  the  forest 
and  when  they  had  found  a  fawn  they  asked  if  she  would 
give  her  consent  if  they  should  ask  for  her  eyes  to  put  in 
their  father's  eye  sockets.  The  fawn  consented  when  she 
heard  their  story  and  gave  them  her  eyes.  So  they  gave 
her  moss  to  eat  while  they  were  gone.  They  went  home 
with  the  fawn's  eyes  and  placed  them  in  the  father's  eye- 
sockets.  Then  he  saw  how  his  children  looked  and  he  was 
glad.  So,  moreover,  they  saw  how  he  appeared  when  he  had 
eyes  in  his  eye-sockets.  And  they  said,  "Father,  how  long 
your  eyelashes  are!"  for  the  fawn's  eyelashes  were  long. 
Now  also  the  father  saw  his  brother  and  was  glad  that  it 
was  he.  Then  said  the  boys,  "We  are  now  going  in  search 
of  both  of  your  eyes  and  you  will  have  a  joyous  time." 
Then  they  took  the  eyes  of  the  fawn  and  carried  them  back 
to  her  and  thanked  her  for  their  use. 

Now  they  went  on  their  journey  to  the  place  where 
there  father  had  told  them  the  house  of  the  women  quilting 
was.  After  a  time  they  found  it.  Now  on  their  way  they 
had  been  discussing  their  plans.  They  decided  to  hide  at 
the  spring.  Last  was  to  transform  himself  into  a  duck  and 
Thistle-like  was  to  wait  in  hiding.  They  reached  the  spring 
and  the  younger  brother  changed  himself  into  a  duck  and 
swam  upon  the  surface  of  the  spring.  The  older  brother 
hid  himself.  Now  after  a  time  the  youngest  sister  from 
the  house  came  down  to  the  spring  for  water  and  saw  a 
duck  swimming  in  the  spring.  So  she  tried  to  catch  him 
but  the  duck  dodged  whenever  she  tried  to  grasp  him.  Then 
as  she  jumped  over  the  spring  the  duck  entered  her  body. 
Then  she  went  home  and  the  old  woman  of  the  house  said, 


106 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Daughter  you  look  as  if  you  would  soon  have  a  child.  It 
must  be  by  the  Creator  for  no  man  has  passed  this  way.  So 
after  a  short  time  the  daughter  gave  birth  to  a  boy  and  the 
mother  said,  "It  must  be  the  gift  of  the  Creator  for  no  man 
has  passed  by."  Now  the  child  would  cry  and  would  only 
be  pacified  when  some  valuable  object  was  shown  him. 
But  soon  again  he  would  cry  and  they  would  show  him 
another  treasure.  Now  he  began  to  cry  very  hard  and 
nothing  would  pacify  him,  not  even  all  their  valued  treas- 
ures. So  the  old  woman  said,  perhaps  the  quilt  of  human 
eyes  would  please  him,  so  the  quilt  was  brought  and  he 
ceased  crying  and  played  with  the  quilt.  Then  the  women 
all  went  out  to  work  in  the  field.  Now  when  they  were 
gone  he  took  the  quilt  and  folded  it  and  ran  out  of  the 
house.  The  women  discovered  him  and  pursued  him  with 
hammers.  They  closed  about  him  endeavoring  to  strike  him 
but  he  dodged  and  they  struck  each  other  and  killed  each 
other,  all  but  one  and  he  killed  her.  Then  he  went  and 
found  his  brother. 

Now  they  returned  home  and  greeted  their  father.  They 
asked  him  what  kind  of  eyes  he  had  had  and  the  father 
answered,  "Oh  they  were  peculiar  eyes.  They  had  a  reddish 
cast."  Now  the  Last  found  the  eyes  and  took  them  off 
the  quilt  and  placed  them  back  in  his  father's  eye-sockets. 
And  when  the  father  had  his  own  eyes  he  said,  "There  are 
the  eyes  of  my  brother."  So  the  boys  took  them  from  the 
quilt  and  placed  them  in  their  uncle's  eye-sockets.  And 
they  saw  each  other  and  were  very  glad.  Then  the  younger 
twin  said,  "We  must  now  go  and  find  the  bones  of  the 
dead  and  restore  them  their  eyes."  So  they  went  and  found 
the  graves  of  the  dead  and  gathered  together  all  their 
skeletons. — half  as  many  as  there  were  eyes.  And  a  voice 
from  the  pile  spoke  and  said,  "We  are  under  the  cover 
of  a  white  bear."  So  the  boys  found  a  white  bear  and 
skinned  it  and  built  a  lodge  like  a  sweat-lodge  and  covered 
it  over  with  the  skin  of  the  white  bear.  In  the  lodge  they 
placed  the  bones  of  the  dead  men.    In  a  short  time  the 


THE  FORBIDDEN  ARROW  -  107 


wigwam  began  to  quiver  and  then  the  younger  brother  ran 
to  an  elm  tree  and  began  to  kick  it  and  it  fell  over  and  as 
it  was  falling  he  cried,  "The  tree  is  falling  upon  you.  Flee 
for  your  lives." 

Now  as  they  heard  his  warning  the  skeletons  arose  and 
ran  out  of  the  wigwam  and  into  the  woods.  Now  the 
eyes  had  been  placed  upon  the  skulls  and  the  people  had 
time  to  select  their  own,  but  Last  was  too  hasty  in  kicking 
over  the  tree  and  they  had  little  time  to  find  their  own  bones. 
Thus  when  they  came  together  in  the  woods  they  found 
themselves  in  a  mixed  condition.  Some  had  legs  too  short, 
some  had  long  arms  and  short  legs, — their  limbs,  ribs,  feet 
and  finer  bones  were  mismated.  Then  Last  was  sorry  he 
had  been  so  hasty.  So  he  asked  them  all  where  they  lived 
and  some  knew  but  some  did  not.  He  told  all  that  knew 
to  go  to  their  homes  and  he  told  all  that  did  not  to  come 
home  with  him.  Now  they  went  home  with  him  but  the 
house  was  too  small  to  contain  all.  Then  Last  paced  out 
the  dimensions  of  a  large  house  and  his  footprints  outlining 
it  were  on  the  ground.  Then  he  commanded  a  house  to 
spring  up  and  it  did  and  was  large  enough  to  hold  all  the 
men  and  they  lived  there.  Now  these  were  cripples  and 
deformed  people  and  from  them  sprang  the  deformed  and 
ugly  people  of  today.  Now  the  uncle  recovered  his  health 
and  the  older  sister  married  him  so  there  were  two  couples 
in  the  house.  So  everything  came  out  well  and  everyone 
was  happy.   So  the  legend  ends. 


NOTE. — The  legend  of  the  magic  arrow  and  the  quilt  of  eyes  is  a 
typical  Seneca  transformation  myth.  Its  characteristic  elements  are, 
the  orenda  of  twins,  the  magic  arrow  which  they  were  forbidden  to 
use,  the  transfixing  of  one  party  with  an  arrow  and  the  tests  of  magic. 
The  conception  of  the  quilt  of  young  men's  eyes  appears  in  other 
stories,  as  also  does  that  of  borrowing  eyes  from  animals  to  assist 
persons  who  had  lost  their  eyeballs.  The  theme  of  the  magical 
twins  who  grew  to  immediate  maturity  and  played  under  the  ground 
is  also  one  employed  elsewhere.  The  idea  of  conception  through  enter- 
ing into  a  female  to  be  born  of  her,  also  is  a  more  or  less  frequent 
episode.  As  in  other  legends,  the  hero  who  acquires  great  orenda  ends 
his  career  by  restoring  the  bones  of  the  magically  slain  and  hastening 
their  resurrection  to  such  an  extent  that  they  appear  with  mismated 
limbs,  thereby  being  the  first  monsters  and  cripples. 

This  legend  was  related  in  the  Seneca  tongue  by  Edward  Corn- 
planter,  and  translated  by  William  Bluesky,  whose  language  forms 
the  bulk  of  the  version  here  presented.  Certain  corrections  were  made 
after  reading  the  recorded  account  to  Cornplanter. 


II.    CORN  GRINDER,  THE  GRANDSON.1 


In  a  clearing  in  a  thick  pine  forest  there  lived  an  old 
man  and  woman.  Their  lodge  was  far  away  from  any 
Indian  village,  for  they  had  no  liking  for  the  company  of 
other  people.  They  were  a  strange  couple  and  often  talked 
with  trees,  and  the  trees  would  answer  them. 

With  the  old  folk  lived  a  boy,  their  grandson,  but  he 
found  no  pleasure  in  the  society  of  his  grandparents,  for 
they  would  never  speak  to  him  except  to  admonish  him  not 
to  wander  beyond  certain  limits. 

"Go  east,  go  west,  go  north,"  they  said,  "but  not  away 
from  the  sound  of  the  corn  grinder.  We  have  named  you 
Corn  Grinder  so  that  you  remember.  Listen,  never  go  south. 
Remember !" 

Each  morning  after  breakfast  Corn  Grinder  would  run 
into  the  woods  with  his  bow  and  pass  his  time  hunting 
birds.  He  became  an  expert  marksman  and  could  bring 
down  a  bird  as  far  as  his  arrow  could  fly.  By  the  time  he 
was  twelve  years  old  he  was  familiar  with  the  woods,  to 
the  east,  the  west  and  the  north  as  far  as  the  sound  of  his 
grandmother's  corn  grinder  reached.  As  he  grew  older  he 
began  to  wonder  why  it  was  that  daily  the  old  people  re- 
peated the  same  old  charge.  "Go  east,  go  west,  go  north, 
but  not  away  from  the  sound  of  the  grinder.  Never  go 
south !" 

"Ho !"  he  exclaimed,  "I  will  go  south  as  far  as  I  please." 

Taking  his  bow  and  quiver  he  ran  from  the  lodge, 
skirted  the  clearing  and  came  around  to  the  southern  border. 
With  arrow  fixed  for  instant  use  he  skulked  from  tree  to 
tree.  He  was  going  toward  the  forbidden  south!  Surely 
there  must  be  some  hideous  monsters,  poisonous  reptiles  or 
terrible  witches  here,  that  made  his  grandparents  enjoin  him 
to  shun  the  south  woods.    They  would  not  tell  him  what 

i    Related  by  Guy  Miller,  a  Tuscarora,  Jan.,  1905. 

108 


CORN  GRINDER  THE  GRANDSON 


109 


it  was  and  because  of  this  he  was  determined  to  find  out  at 
any  cost.  He  listened  at  every  footstep  and  glanced  anx- 
iously in  every  direction.  His  fears  began  to  subside,  how- 
ever, when  he  saw  nothing  unusual.  The  same  kind  of 
birds  flew  in  the  trees  and  fell  when  his  arrows  pierced 
them.  Plainly  there  were  no  witches  here.  He  strode  on 
bolder  than  before  nor  halted  until  in  the  distance  he  heard 
the  sound  of  a  corn  mortar.  He  was  on  the  alert  in  an 
instant,  dropped  on  his  hands  and  knees  and  crawled  for- 
ward, covering  his  approach  by  the  trunks  of  the  pines. 
Presently  he  saw  a  few  paces  ahead  an  opening  and  draw- 
ing nearer  saw  an  immense  bark  lodge  in  the  clearing.  A 
gigantic  woman  was  standing  beneath  a  tall  tree  cooking 
corn  soup  in  a  huge  kettle.  An  extraordinarily  large  baby 
board  leaned  against  the  tree  but  no  baby  was  in  sight. 
Crawling,  serpent-like,  he  wriggled  his  way  through  the 
high  grass  to  the  lodge.  Entering  it  he  saw  a  large  fat 
baby,  tall  as  a  warrior  and  as  fat  as  an  old  woman.  The 
day  was  hot  and  the  baby  was  without  clothing  as  it  lay 
on  a  couch  of  skins.  Peering  stealthily  from  the  door  he 
saw  that  the  giantess  was  coming  toward  the  lodge.  Trem- 
bling yet  determined  to  learn  all  he  could  of  the  strange  folk, 
he  concealed  himself  under  the  hemlock  branches  beneath 
the  bed. 

The  woman  came  in  and  stretched  herself  out  on  the 
floor  for  a  nap.  The  baby  commenced  to  cry  and  then 
nearly  crushed  Corn  Grinder  by  rolling  over  the  very  spot 
beneath  which  he  lay.  This  made  Corn  Grinder  angry 
indeed,  and  crawling  out  as  best  he  could  he  ran  from  the 
lodge,  skimmed  a  ladle  full  of  scalding  grease  from  the 
soup  and  running  in  threw  it  upon  the  baby's  abdomen  and 
fled  to  the  edge  of  the  woods. 

The  infant  awoke  with  a  piercing  shriek  and  began 
rubbing  its  stomach  in  frenzy,  howling  like  a  stricken  wolf 
with  agony.    This  awoke  the  mother  who  did  her  best  to 


110 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


soothe  her  child  and  discover  how  it  had  been  so  mysteri- 
ously injured. 

Meanwhile  little  Corn  Grinder  had  thrown  a  bunch  of 
pungent  weeds  into  the  soup  and  hastily  concealed  himself 
in  a  thicket. 

Soon  the  gigantic  woman  emerged  from  the  lodge  and 
began  stirring  the  soup.  She  drew  a  deep  breath  as  its 
appetizing  vapors  reached  her  nostrils  and  said,  "Age-wiu, 
how  good !"  Presently  she  began  to  sneeze.  Again  she 
sneezed  and  again  and  again,  until  she  could  scarcely  stand, 
tears  streaming  from  her  eyes,  water  from  her  nose  and 
saliva  from  her  mouth.  "Age!  Age!"  she  gasped,  "Some 
witch  must  be  near." 

Little  Corn  Grinder  chuckled  with  glee  and  rolled  over 
and  over,  his  sides  quaking  with  merriment,  to  think  how 
his  weeds  were  destroying  the  giantess. 

The  fire  died  down,  the  steam  ceased  rising  and  the 
strangely  affected  woman  stopped  sneezing.  The  soup  was 
done  by  this  time  and  going  back  to  the  house  the  woman 
strapped  the  baby  to  the  board  and  grasping  a  basket  of 
bread  and  meat  in  one  hand  and  the  kettle  of  soup  in  the 
other,  started  off  in  a  southerly  direction.  Corn  Grinder 
followed  close  behind  and  saw  her  stop  at  a  huge  dead 
tree. 

"Luk-ste,  luk-ste,  da-ja-jent! 
Luk-ste,  luk-ste,  da-ja-jent!" 

sang  the  woman  in  a  low  voice.  The  ground  beneath  them 
rumbled  and  in  a  moment  the  tree  opened  and  out  stepped 
a  tall  giant  saying  "Onek  to-ha !"  He  greeted  the  woman 
with  a  friendly  slap,  patted  the  baby  and  then  poured  a 
laddle-full  of  soup  down  his  throat.  The  pungent  weeds 
burned  the  giant's  mouth.  Wildly  he  danced  around  the 
tree  tearing  up  the  sod  and  holding  his  mouth  open,  drew 
his  breath  in  and  out  to  cool  his  blistered  throat  and  tongue. 
When  the  smarting  sensation  ceased  he  ran  toward  the 
offending  dish,  and  gave  the  kettle  a  kick  that  sent  it  flying 


CORN  GRINDER  THE  GRANDSON 


111 


over  the  trees  and  spilling  the  soup  over  the  frightened 
woman  and  baby.  The  angered  giant  then  began  to  berate 
the  giantess  for  the  mean  trick  she  had  played  on  him  and 
kept  grumbling  until  he  had  devoured  the  bread  and  meat 
and  disappeared  into  the  tree. 

Corn  Grinder's  eyes  bulged  from  his  head  and  he  shud- 
dered as,  ear  to  the  ground,  he  heard  strange  subterranean 
roarings.  "Wah !"  he  exclaimed,  "why  can  not  I  say 
'Luk-ste,  luk-ste'  ?" 

Gliding  through  the  grass  and  bushes  he  followed  the 
woman  back  to  the  lodge  where  she  began  to  wash  corn 
previous  to  preparing  another  meal  for  the  giant  in  the  tree. 

"When  the  sun  stands  high  she'll  be  ready  again,"  said 
Corn  Grinder  to  himself.  "Then  I  will  say  'Luk-ste, 
luk-ste  !' — that's  fun." 

With  this  determination  he  crawled  back  and  hid  behind 
a  tree  facing  the  mysterious  dead  trunk. 

When  the  sun  had  risen  to  the  mid-heavens  Corn 
Grinder  arose  from  his  hiding-place  and  walking  cautiously 
to  the  mysterious  tree  struck  it  sharply  with  his  bow,  singing 
in  a  low  tone  the  woman's  song,  then  jumped  quickly  back 
and  fixed  his  arrow  for  instant  use. 

The  ground  trembled,  the  tree  shook,  then  opened  and 
the  giant  came  forth.  He  looked  around  in  all  directions 
and  growled  in  rage  when  he  failed  to  discover  any  one : 
"More  tricks,"  he  yelled. 

Corn  Grinder  watched  his  chance  and  when  the  giant's 
back  was  turned,  he  let  fly  an  arrow  piercing  him  through 
the  stomach.  Without  a  groan  the  giant  fell.  Corn  Grinder 
looked  down  the  path,  saw  the  woman  coming  and  fled  with 
all  haste  back  through  the  forest  to  his  grand-parents' 
lodge.  Bursting  in  the  door  he  exclaimed  breathlessly,  "Oh 
grandmother!    I  killed  him,  I  killed  him!" 

"Hold  on,"  said  his  grandmother,  "who  did  you  kill  ? 
Tell  me  all  about  it." 


112 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Corn  Grinder  obeyed,  omitting  no  detail  of  the  adven- 
ture. 

"Age !"  wailed  the  old  woman.  "You  have  killed  your 
father,  my  own  son.  You  must  go  on  a  long  journey  to  a 
high  mountain  and  obtain  certain  magical  roots  to  restore 
him  !  You  must  go  immediately  !  O  grandson,  why  did  you 
disobey  us?  How  often  did  we  tell  you  never  to  go  south. 
All  your  family  are  wizards  and  witches  and  we  hoped 
to  save  you  !   Age,  Age !" 

"I  went,  grandmother,"  replied  the  boy,  "because  you 
told  me  not  to  go.  If  you  had  told  me  everything  I  should 
never  have  gone.  Now  hurry  and  get  food  for  our 
journey, — two  are  going." 

As  he  was  speaking  the  giantess  and  the  baby  came 
running  down  the  path  and  rushed  into  the  lodge. 

"Corn  Grinder  has  killed  his  father!"  screamed  the 
giantess. 

"Where  is  he,  where  is  he?  We  are  going  to  kill 
him !" 

"All  right,"  said  Corn  Grinder,  popping  out  from  under 
a  bed,  "kill  me  if  you  can." 

The  furious  giantess  seized  a  corn  mortar,  the  baby  a 
pestle,  and  each  strove  to  hit  the  boy  with  these  weapons. 

Corn  Grinder  dodged  around  in  glee, — the  excitement 
was  exhilarating.  The  possibility  of  receiving  a  blow  from 
the  pestle  or  being  smashed  with  a  mortar  made  his  feet 
nimble  as  never  before.  Finally  when  he  had  been  hit  and 
his  doom  seemed  sealed  he  said  to  himself,  "If  I  belong 
to  the  family  of  witches,  I  must  be  a  witch  as  well,"  and 
bounding  into  the  air  he  jumped  down  the  giantess'  mouth, 
slid  down  her  throat,  wrenched  her  heart  from  its  fasten- 
ings and  when  she  had  fallen  dead,  he  crawled  out  again, 
grabbed  the  pestle  from  the  baby's  hands,  cried  "Da,  da,  da, 
da,  da,  da !"  and  killed  the  infant  with  a  blow. 

Without  the  least  sign  of  excitement  he  said,  "Now 


CORN  GRINDER  THE  GRANDSON 


113 


grandmother,  hurry  with  my  lunch.  It  will  soon  be  dark 
and  my  friend  and  I  wish  to  go  early." 

"What  friend?"  asked  the  grandmother.  "Why  Da-ga- 
ga-we-so-da-de  (Standing  cob  is  coming),"  replied  Corn 
Grinder,  "but  you  can't  see  him.  We  have  been  companions 
since  we  were  babies.    Hurry,  grandmother." 

Mutely  the  old  woman  obeyed  and  soon  had  a  basket 
of  food  prepared  for  the  journey. 

Corn  Grinder  started  on  and  entered  the  north  woods 
where  he  must  meet  his  friend  Cob. 

For  a  day  they  tramped  through  unknown  forests, 
crossed  mirey  swamps  and  struggled  through  windfalls  and 
at  night  lay  down  beneath  a  sheltering  rock.  The  next  day 
passed  as  the  first,  but  the  third  presented  increased  obsta- 
cles. Wild  beasts  growled  all  around  them.  Toward  noon, 
as  Corn  Grinder  was  munching  a  slice  of  corn  bread,  a 
monstrous  dog  rushed  toward  them.  Ever  prepared  to 
ward  off  danger,  Corn  Grinder  threw  down  his  slice  and 
spat  out  the  morsel  he  was  masticating.  The  dog  bent  his 
head  to  eat  and  the  two  boys  ran  out  of  sight,  but  not  into 
safety,  as  they  had  imagined,  for  before  them  was  a  gigantic 
wild  cat  with  wide  open  mouth.  Without  pausing  in  his 
flight  Corn  Grinder  flung  a  chunk  of  meat  into  its  jaws 
and  ran  faster  than  before.  Exhausted,  he  sat  down  a  mo- 
ment to  rest  but  as  he  did  so  a  big  bear  rushed  at  him  with 
a  growl.  Corn  Grinder  jumped  form  his  seat,  flung  a  dish 
of  honey  into  its  eyes  and  summing  up  all  energy  hurried 
on  once  more.  Cob  ran  at  his  side  and  kept  encouraging 
him  to  keep  a  stout  heart. 

At  length  they  reached  a  clearing  near  the  base  of  a 
mountain.  Some  one  high  in  the  air  seemed  singing  a  song 
over  and  over.  They  halted  a  moment  and  then  pushed 
aside  the  underbrush,  pausing  again  to  listen  to  the  song, 
which  seemed  growing  louder.  They  were  startled  when 
they  caught  the  words. 

"Some  strange  thing  is  heralding  our  approach,"  said 


114 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Corn  Grinder,  and  pushing  aside  the  bushes  he  came  out 
into  the  open. 

A  great  multitude  of  people  were  assembled  about  a 
tall  pine,  shooting  at  something  in  the  topmost  branches 
of  a  tall  pine.  The  two  boys  came  nearer  and  noticed  that 
whenever  an  arrow  struck  the  tree  near  the  creature  in 
the  branches,  drops  of  water  would  run  from  its  eyes  and 
striking  the  ground  become  wampum.  Corn  Grinder  was 
about  to  pull  his  bow  when  Cob  struck  his  arm  and  said, 
"Stop !  That  is  your  father  up  there.  Hurry  on  and  let 
us  get  the  medicine.  If  you  do  not  soon  his  tears  will  cease 
to  flow  and  they  will  kill  him." 

The  two  boys  ran  panting  through  the  crowd.  Cob  was 
invisible  and  Corn  Grinder  might  as  well  have  been  for 
no  one  noticed  him.  They  labored  up  a  mountain,  crossed 
great  rocks  and  chasms  and  at  sunset,  in  a  deep  rift  in  the 
mountain  side,  at  the  foot  of  a  cataract  found  a  wonderful 
plant. 

"Grab  it !"  whispered  Cob.   "It  is  the  medicine  !" 

Corn  Grinder  snatched  at  the  plant,  which  flew  from 
the  ground  and  eluding  his  grasp  soared  upward  but  wary 
Cob  with  a  high  leap  caught  it  by  the  roots  before  it  was 
entirely  beyond  his  grasp. 

Cob  instructed  Corn  Grinder  to  chew  the  roots  of  the 
plant  and  then  rub  his  saliva  over  his  body,  his  clothing,  his 
bow  and  his  arrows.  This  he  did  and  felt  new  vigor  thrill- 
ing every  fiber.  The  journey  down  the  mountain  seemed 
easy  and  his  feet  were  lighter  than  ever  before. 

Toward  nightfall  they  reached  the  great  pine  again  and 
saw  people  busy  as  before,  shooting  at  the  creature  in  the 
tree,  but  the  tears  were  fewer  and  the  wampum  less. 

"Hurry,"  cried  Cob.  "Unless  you  shoot  him  before  the 
next  man's  arrow  strikes  he  will  truly  be  dead." 

Grinder  spat  on  his  arrows,  rubbed  the  roots  in  his  hair 
and  then  shot.  The  arrow  struck  the  creature  and  it  instantly 
vanished.     Simultaneously,  both  Corn  Grinder  and  Cob 


CORN  GRINDER  THE  GRANDSON 


115 


were  pulled  from  their  feet  by  some  unseen  force  and  sped 
through  the  air  like  the  wind.  High  into  the  sky  they 
went  and  when  the  moon  began  to  shine  they  dropped  down 
to  earth  again  at  the  doorway  of  a  new  lodge,  which  they 
entered. 

A  woman  was  chanting  a  song  to  a  baby.  Corn  Grinder 
looked  closely  and  saw  that  it  was  the  same  woman  and 
baby  that  he  had  killed  but  each  had  now  become  smaller. 
He  looked  back  and  saw  the  giant  he  had  shot.  He,  too, 
had  become  smaller. 

"I  am  your  brother,"  said  the  baby. 

"I  am  your  father,"  said  the  man. 

"I  am  your  mother,"  said  the  woman,  "come,  let  us  eat !" 


GENERAL,  NOTES. — The  story  of  Corn  Grinder  is  another  tale  of 
an  enchanted  family.  Corn  Grinder  is  cared  for  by  his  grandparents 
who  wish  to  shield  him  from  his  parents  who  are  evilly  magic  people. 
He  is  told  that  he  may  venture  from  his  grandmother's  lodge  but  to 
the  south  at  no  greater  distance  than  the  sound  of  the  corn  pounder, 
though  in  other  directions  he  might  go  as  far  as  he  liked.  The  time 
comes  when  Corn  Grinder  resolves  to  disobey  and  travel  south,  where 
he  discovers  a  lodge  of  giants  and  a  gigantic  infant.  By  craft  he 
disturbs  the  giants,  annoying  them  without  being  discovered,  finally 
shooting  the  male  giant.  Rushing  home  he  tells  his  grandmother  who 
reveals  to  him  that  the  giant  is  his  father,  and  orders  him  to  make 
haste  to  procure  medicine  roots  to  effect  a  restoration.  When  the 
giantess  and  infant  pursue  him  to  the  lodge  he  escapes  them  and 
jumping  down  the  giantess'  throat  tears  out  her  heart,  soon  afterward 
killing  the  infant. 

He  then  reveals  that  he  has  an  "unseen  friend"  who  will  aid  him  in 
his  search  for  the  medicine  roots.  After  overcoming  great  dangers 
they  obtain  the  roots  and  fly  through  the  air  to  a  new  lodge  where 
Corn  Grinder  discovers  his  parents  restored  to  normal  form.  The 
injection  of  the  beast  in  the  tree  wailing  and  transforming  its  tears 
into  wampum  brings  into  the  story  a  common  theme,  that  of  a  being 
excreting  wampum.  The  songs  and  magical  words  used  in  this  tale 
are  not  Seneca. 


12.  HE-GOES-TO-LISTEN.1 


In  the  old  days  when  the  Senecas  were  strong  on  the 
Genesee  there  lived  near  a  large  hill  that  rose  from  a  river, 
a  boy  and  his  uncle. 

When  the  boy  was  born  he  was  named  Hatondas,  mean- 
ing He  goes  to  listen.  This  name  was  bestowed  because 
just  before  his  birth  his  mother  had  dreamed  that  when  he 
should  arrive  at  a  marriageable  age  two  singing  women 
would  come  from  afar  to  be  his  wives.  The  mother  also 
dreamed  that  she  would  die.  In  order  to  prepare  him  for 
his  marriage  she  therefore  sewed  three  bags  that  were 
witched.  She  filled  one  with  great  quantities  of  wampum, 
the  second  with  beautiful  clothing  but  the  third  was  left 
empty.  Though  the  bags  were  scarcely  the  size  of  a  man's 
hand  they  could  hold  things  hundreds  of  times  their  own 
size. 

When  Hatondas  was  yet  young  his  mother  as  her  dream 
had  foretold  became  mysteriously  sick  and  shortly  died, 
leaving  her  baby  son  to  the  care  of  his  grandfather.  The 
uncle  knew  the  prediction  of  the  mother's  vision  concerning 
the  coming  of  the  women  for  the  child,  and,  being  a  widower 
of  many  years  and  unable  to  secure  a  wife  by  fair  means, 
resolved  to  disfigure  the  boy  and  claim  the  women  destined 
for  him.  And  so  it  was  that  when  the  boy  reached  the  age 
of  fourteen  the  old  man  each  morning  and  evening  would 
send  him  up  the  hill  to  listen. 

"Listen  nephew,"  he  commanded,  "go  up  the  hill,  stop 
in  the  pines  near  the  trail  and  listen.  When  you  hear  a 
strange  sound  hurry  back  and  tell  me.  Be  sure  you  sound 
it  exactly." 

The  boy  would  thereupon  run  as  fast  as  possible  to  the 
hill  top  and  secrete  himself  in  the  pine  woods.    The  old 

i  This  legend  is  related  almost  verbatim  as  it  came  from  the  lips 
of  Gohweh  Seneca,  an  old  Tonawanda  Seneca. 

116 


HE-GOES-TO-LISTEN 


117 


man  had  used  every  artifice  to  make  the  boy  cowardly  and 
so  when  he  heard  an  owl  hooting  in  the  darkness  of  the 
wood  he  trembled  and  ran  in  wild  terror  down  the  hill  and 
rushed  into  the  lodge. 

"O  O  O— uncle,  I've,  I've— I've  heard—" 

"Now  wait  a  bit  my  son,  wait  'till  I  smoke."  And 
when  the  old  man  had  finished  his  pipe  he  asked,  "Well, 
what  did  you  hear?" 

"Noise  like  this, — O-O-O-Owah !  o-o-o-owah!" 

"Ugh,  that's  nothing,"  said  the  old  man.  "You  are  no 
good."  So  saying  he  thrust  a  ladle  into  the  fire  and  drew  it 
out  full  of  embers  and  bidding  the  boy  stand  fast  threw 
them  on  his  legs.  Maddened  by  the  pain  the  boy  rushed 
from  the  lodge  with  cries  of  agony. 

The  next  day  Hatondas  was  again  sent  on  the  same 
errand  and  again  terrified  by  a  strange  sound  ran  back  to 
the  old  man  and  reported. 

"Stop,  stop !"  the  old  fellow  yelled.  "Let  me  smoke 
first !"  And  when  the  last  curl  of  blue  vapor  had  been 
drawn  from  the  old  stone  pipe  he  spoke,  "Now  tell  me!" 

"It  was  gak-gaw-gak-gaw-gak-gaw !    O  grandfather!" 

"Chisnah !  That  was  nothing,"  the  old  man  replied, 
and  again  threw  hot  ashes  on  the  boy. 

Day  after  day  the  same  procedure  continued  and  after 
a  year  the  boy,  once  handsome  and  lithe,  was  scarred  and 
crippled.  The  grandfather  now  devised  new  schemes. 
When  he  had  sent  He-goes-to-listen  up  the  hill  he  stretched 
a  deer  tendon  across  the  door  way,  and  returning,  the  boy 
tripped  and  fell,  severely  bruising  his  face.  The  old  schemer 
laughed  and  said,  "Good  joke,  good  joke,  I'll  never  do  it 
again."  But  each  day  as  he  sent  the  boy  up  the  hill  he 
would  break  his  promise  and  the  youth  would  be  frightfully 
cut  by  the  fall  over  the  thong.  However,  after  a  while  in 
spite  of  the  old  man's  promises  the  youth  became  wary  in 
his  pell-mell  rush  into  the  lodge  and  would  step  over  the 
cord. 


118 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


One  autumn  in  the  seventeenth  year  of  He-goes-to-lisen 
he  returned  from  the  hill  in  unusual  haste  and  in  great 
excitement.  "O  grandfather!"  he  exclaimed,  and  before  the 
old  man  had  time  to  smoke  he  cried  out,  "I  heard  noise, 
singing,  like  this:  (SONG). 

"Well,  that  all?"  said  the  grandfather  in  a  voice  that 
revealed  his  suppressed  excitement,  "Well,  I  will  thrash 
you  hard  for  that."  Thereupon  Hatondas  received  a  most 
brutal  beating  and  was  thrown  into  the  roaring  fire.  The 
next  day  the  boy  was  bidden  listen  to  every  word  in  the 
song  he  should  hear  and  report  immediately. 

The  old  man  rubbed  his  face  with  oil  and  painted  it  with 
streaks  of  vermillion.  He  tied  sinews  to  his  flabby  cheeks 
and  pulling  the  wrinkles  back,  tied  the  strings  behind  his 
neck  and  let  down  his  long  black  hair  to  hide  the  ruse.  His 
sole  idea  in  abusing  and  disfiguring  the  boy  was  to  make 
him  such  a  horrible  sight  that  the  mysterious  women  would 
refuse  to  marry  him.  He  wanted  them  himself,  and  thus 
on  the  night  after  the  singing,  decked  himself  in  his  best, 
hoping  to  gain  their  favor.  Hatondas  had  set  out  early  in 
the  morning  but  entranced  by  the  singing  did  not  return. 
On  came  the  voices  until  he  saw  the  singers  themselves  and 
saw  them  pass  down  the  hill  and  enter  the  lodge. 

The  old  man  decked  in  his  feathers  and  paint  arose  to 
meet  them.  "Welcome,  welcome,  my  women,"  he  said. 
"Come  in,  the  house  is  yours." 

But  the  women  only  said,  "Where  is  Hatondas?" 

"Oh  I  am  he !"  ejaculated  the  old  reprobate. 

But  the  women  again  asked,  "Where  is  Hatondas?" 

"Oh  he?  He  is  lying  around  somewhere  with  the  dogs 
in  the  garbage, — but  never  mind  him, — come  sit  by  me." 

The  women  did  not  obey  but  sat  on  the  low  bench  that 
belonged  to  Hatondas,  and  the  would-be-youthful  old  man 
with  all  his  smooth  cheeks  and  decorations  could  not  get 
them  to  converse  with  him. 

"Come,  come,  better  stay  with  me, — marry  me,"  he 


HE-GOES-TO-LISTEN 


119 


pleaded.  "I  am  handsome, — Hatondas  is  crippled  and  ugly. 
Say  'yes,'  you  will  marry  me.   Of  course,  say  so." 

"Where  is  Hatondas  ?"  was  the  resolute  question. 

The  old  man  shuffled  up  and  touched  one  of  the  women 
in  a  pleading  way  and  she  promptly  knocked  him  down. 

Hatondas  returned.  He  had  suddenly  become  bold.  All 
his  former  fear  of  his  grandfather  had  flown,  likewise  his 
fear  of  sounds  and  moving  things.  Courageously  he  entered 
the  door  and  saluted  the  women.  Seating  himself  on  his 
grandfather's  bench  he  spent  the  entire  afternoon  chatting 
with  them.  As  evening  came  on  the  women  cooked  his 
supper,  leaving  the  old  man  to  fare  the  best  he  could. 

Night  came  and  the  time  for  sleeping.  Hatondas  threw 
himself  upon  his  husk  mats  and  rolled  up  in  his  skins.  The 
two  women  lay  on  either  side. 

The  old  man  frowned  fiercely  and  the  strings  slipping 
from  their  fastenings  let  fall  his  skinny  jowls,  now  more 
wrinkled  than  before. 

"Ugh !"  he  exclaimed.  "I  say,  two  women  don't  want 
one  husband !"  But  as  the  women  did  not  stir  the  frus- 
trated old  fellow  lay  down  with  a  disgusted  groan. 

That  night  as  he  slept  his  heart  changed  and  the  next 
morning  he  awoke  without  any  ill  feeling  toward  Hatondas. 

"Now,  my  boy,"  he  said  after  breakfast,  "you  must 
go  away  from  here.  Long  time  ago  your  mother  left  three 
bags  for  your  journey.   One  bag  is  empty, — I  will  fill  it." 

Bringing  out  a  bag  the  size  of  a  man's  hand  he  filled  it 
with  a  basket  of  parched  corn  mixed  with  maple  sugar,  put 
in  a  bow  and  a  bundle  of  arrows  and  last  of  all  a  buckskin 
suit  and  then  charged  Hatondas  not  to  speak  to  a  living 
creature  other  than  his  wives  while  on  his  journey,  and 
warned  him  that  if  he  should  it  would  cause  the  loss  of  a 
bag. 

Hatondas  with  his  wives  set  out  on  the  trail  that  led  to 
the  far  country.  Reaching  the  top  of  the  hill  that  he  had  so 
often  climbed  one  of  the  women  said,  "Oh  here  is  a  hollow 


120 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


log.  There  is  an  animal  in  it !  You  are  ugly,  Hatondas, — 
crawl  in  and  see  if  you  can  scare  it  out."  The  husband 
obeyed  and  wriggled  through  the  log.  He  felt  strange  and 
when  his  head  emerged  from  the  other  end  of  the  log  he 
felt  like  a  different  person.  Looking  in  the  next  spring  he 
saw  that  his  face  was  smooth  and  handsome.  He  lifted  his 
legging  and  saw  a  limb  clean  and  unscarred.  More  than 
this,  he  noticed  that  instead  of  his  filthy  clothes  he  was 
clad  in  a  new  suit  of  white  skin. 

His  delight  was  so  great  that  he  immediately  forgot  all 
warnings  and  talked  without  fear  to  two  strangers  whom 
he  met,  while  his  wives  strode  on  ahead.  Having  satisfied 
their  curiosity  the  strangers  started  on.  Hatondas  ran  with 
great  strides  and  after  some  time  overtook  his  wives  who 
immediately  asked,  "Where  is  your  magic  bag?"  Alas,  it 
was  gone  with  all  the  wampum  that  it  contained.  This 
meant  that  when  Hatondas  should  enter  the  strange  country, 
it  should  be  without  honor  and  that  he  should  be  as  a  com- 
mon man. 

For  several  years  Hatondas  dwelt  in  the  land  of  his 
wives  and  so  well  did  he  fight  in  battle  and  so  brave  was 
he  in  all  things  that  by  deeds  he  gained  great  fame.  How- 
ever, he  tired  of  the  strange  land  and  longed  to  return  and 
visit  his  own  old  home.  After  preparation  he  set  out  on 
the  return  journey,  each  of  his  wives  bearing  a  large  bundle 
of  presents  for  the  old  uncle. 

After  a  weary  journey  and  after  many  days  he  reached 
the  old  lodge  by  the  hill  but  found  it  tied  fast. 

"Kway !"  he  cried. 

"Kway !"  came  the  answer  in  a  cracked  voice.  "Who 
are  you?" 

"Hatondas  and  my  two  wives." 

"Well,  how  do  I  know  that?"  asked  the  same  cracked 
voice. 

"Let  me  in  and  see." 


HE-GOES-TO-LISTEN 


121 


"Don't  you  dare  come  in!  If  you  try  I'll  shoot  you 
through  the  door-hole." 

"Well,  I  am  going  to  go  in  so  tell  me  how." 

"Well  put  your  hands  through  the  peek-hole  and  I  will 
tie  them  to  the  post.  I  will  come  out  and  see  and  if  it  is 
real  Hatondas  you  may  come  in." 

Hatondas  did  as  bidden  and  some  one  inside  tied  his 
hands  around  the  post.  Then  a  decrepit  old  man  came 
out  with  a  hatchet. 

"Aha !  You  were  deceiving  me  just  as  I  thought.  You 
are  not  my  nephew  !   Aha  !    I  will  kill  you.    So !" 

"I  am  your  nephew  but  my  face  is  changed.  Look  and 
see  if  you  don't  recognize  my  women." 

"No,  I  don't  know  any  of  them.  You  must  be  killed 
now."    (Uncle  sings  death  chant.) 

"Hold  on,  old  uncle,  can't  we  come  to  a  bargain  ?"  asked 
Hatondas. 

"Ugh!"  exclaimed  the  old  fellow.  "Bargain?  Yes, 
guess  so.   Let  me  see.   Yes,  give  me  one  of  the  women." 

"Truly,  truly,  if  she  will  take  you." 

In  haste  the  grandfather  cut  the  thongs  that  bound 
Hatondas  and  bade  the  entire  party  enter  the  lodge.  When 
all  were  seated  he  said,  slyly,  "Well,  I  guess  I  like  this 
one  best." 

"What  do  you  mean,  uncle?" 

"I  mean  I  like  this  one  for  cutting  you  loose." 

"Ha!  ha!  ha!  ha!"  laughed  Hatondas.  "She  won't 
have  you !" 

Then  the  uncle  laughed  too  and  said  it  was  all  just  for 
fun  and  that  he  knew  them  all  the  time. 

As  Hatondas  looked  about  him  he  saw  that  the  elm  bark 
house  had  grown  old  and  moss  covered  and  in  one  place 
a  tree  had  commenced  to  grow,  but  before  another  moon 
had  come  all  things  were  as  new  again,  but  the  old  man 
grew  older. 


13-    HATONDAS,  THE  LISTENER,  FINDS  A  WIFE.1 


Hatondas  was  a  poor  orphan  boy  who  lived  with  his 
uncle,  an  old  man  who  was  very  wrinkled.  They  lived  in 
a  lodge  far  removed  from  any  settlement,  so  that  the  boy 
grew  up  not  knowing  how  other  people  acted. 

The  old  uncle  became  more  and  more  abusive  and  threw 
hot  coals  on  Hatondas  seeking  to  mutilate  him.  The  boy 
never  lifted  his  hand  to  strike  his  uncle  but  received  his 
wounds  without  murmuring. 

After  a  time  the  uncle  said,  "Now  is  the  time  when 
you  must  go  up  the  hill  and  listen  to  all  kinds  of  sounds. 
When  you  hear  one  that  you  never  heard  before,  return 
to  me." 

Soon  Hatondas  returned  and  imitated  the  notes  of  a 
chickadee.  "No,  no,  that  is  not  anything  different!"  ex- 
claimed the  old  man,  and  straightway  fell  to  abusing  the 
boy. 

Day  by  day  Hatondas  listened,  hearing  an  owl,  a  hawk, 
a  woodpecker,  a  deer  and  a  bear.  With  each  report  his 
uncle  threw  coals  of  fire  down  his  shirt  or  beat  him  on  the 
face  with  a  paddle. 

One  morning  he  heard  a  song,  and  listening,  heard  his 
own  name  called  out. 

Listening  with  strained  ears  he  caught  the  words, 
"Hatondas,  Hatondas,  I  am  coming  to  marry  you  now.  You 
hear  this  song  so  make  ready." 

Quickly  Hatondas  ran  to  his  uncle  and  reported  what 
he  had  heard.  The  uncle  now  became  greatly  enraged 
and  threw  all  manner  of  filth  at  Hatondas,  then  fell  to 
beating  his  face  with  brands  from  the  fire.  When  he  had 
finished  scolding  the  boy,  the  uncle  washed  his  own  face 
and  put  on  his  best  clothing.    Then  he  greased  his  hair 

l  Related  by  George  D.  Jimerson.  This  version  is  apparently  a 
mixture  of  two  distinct  legends. 

122 


HAHTONDAS  FINDS  A  WIFE 


123 


and  tied  his  cheeks  back  with  a  string,  tying  the  string  be- 
hind his  head  under  his  braid,  to  give  the  appearance  of 
smooth  cheeks. 

Hatondas  could  not  sleep  that  night  for  his  bed  was 
infested  with  vermin  his  uncle  had  put  into  it,  and  it  was 
foul  with  refuse  that  his  uncle  customarily  threw  there  to 
make  Hatondas  an  unsavory  person. 

Morning  came,  and  all  kinds  of  birds  began  to  sing. 
Hatondas  listened  as  before,  and  at  sunrise  he  arose  and 
went  up  the  hill  where  he  was  accustommed  to  wait  listen- 
ing for  the  sounds  which  his  uncle  ordered  him  to  report. 

Again  he  heard  the  sound  of  distant  singing,  and  it  was 
a  woman's  voice.  Now  Hatondas  began  to  feel  very  sad, 
for  his  appearance  bothered  him.  He  was  dirty  beyond  all 
measure  and  his  hair  was  encrusted  with  dried  refuse.  So 
he  felt  very  lonely  and  without  friends. 

Soon  again  he  heard  the  song  and  saw  a  woman  a  long 
ways  off.  She  seemed  calling  his  name,  so  he  listened  more 
intently.  Then  he  saw  a  fine-looking  young  woman  running 
toward  him.  As  she  neared  him  he  saw  that  she  had  a 
basket  of  marriage  bread.  She  looked  at  him  in  great  pity 
and  asked  him  to  lead  her  to  his  lodge. 

When  they  entered  the  lodge  the  young  woman  greeted 
the  uncle,  and  said,  "I  have  been  sent  by  my  mother  to 
find  a  man  here." 

"Oh  I  am  the  man  you  are  looking  for,"  said  the  uncle, 
at  the  same  time  ordering  Hatondas  to  leave  the  lodge.  "I 
am  so  sorry  my  nephew  is  filthy,"  said  the  uncle,  in  his  most 
gracious  language.    "He  is  very  dirty  and  utterly  no  good." 

"He  is  the  man  I  have  come  to  marry,"  said  the  young 
woman. 

Then  the  young  woman  took  out  a  pot  of  oil  and  heated 
it,  and  calling  Hatondas  to  her  cleaned  his  head,  lifting  of 
a  great  mass  of  filthy  crusts.  At  this  the  uncle  was  furious, 
and  demanded  that  the  young  woman  leave  the  boy  alone. 
She  continued  her  work  until  she  had  cleansed  him  when 


124 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


she  said,  "Oh,  he  will  make  a  good  husband  when  I  clean 
him !" 

"You  must  marry  me,"  cried  out  the  uncle.  "I  have 
been  waiting  for  you  many  years.  See,  my  side  of  the  lodge 
is  very  clean,  and  you  could  never  sleep  where  Hatondas  is 
accustomed  to  lie."  But  the  young  woman  repulsed  him 
and  went  out  into  the  woods  with  Hatondas,  whereupon  the 
old  man  burst  into  great  rage,  breaking  his  cheek-strings 
and  making  himself  look  hideous.  "Oh,  I  knew  it  would 
come,"  he  screeched,  "but  I  did  not  think  so  soon." 

When  the  young  woman  had  found  a  hollow  log  she 
required  Hatondas  to  crawl  into  it  and  then  through  to 
the  other  end.  When  he  emerged  he  was  clean  and  healed 
of  his  scars. 

That  night  they  were  married,  but  at  midnight  a  queer 
sound  awoke  Hatondas.  He  rose  up  and  listened.  Then 
the  young  wife  awoke. 

"He  is  upon  us !"  she  cried,  and  leaping  up,  she  called 
upon  Hatondas  to  flee  with  her.  Jumping  upon  the  fire- 
place she  scattered  the  glowing  embers  about  the  room  and 
in  a  moment  the  lodge  was  in  flames. 

Together  the  two  ran  to  the  top  of  the  hill  to  the  rear 
of  the  lodge.  The  young  wife  drew  from  her  garment  a 
small  bundle  and  dropped  it  upon  the  ground.  Taking  the 
whip  she  struck  the  bundle  a  smart  blow.  A  tiny  growl 
issued  from  the  skin  wrappings  and  grew  louder  as  she  con- 
tinued to  ply  her  switch.  Presently  a  dog  burst  from  the 
bundle  and  stood  wagging  his  tail  at  her  feet.  She  con- 
tinued to  lash  it  and  with  each  stroke  the  dog  grew  larger 
and  finally  so  large  that  both  she  and  Hatondas  were  able 
to  mount  its  back  and  sent  it  dashing  onward  at  great 
speed. 

After  some  time  they  arrived  on  the  shores  of  a  vast 
expanse  of  water.  The  wife  patted  the  dog  back  into  its 
bundle  and  dropped  it  in  her  pouch  and  with  her  husband 
leaped  into  a  large  canoe  that  lay  moored  to  the  shore. 


HAHTONDAS  FINDS  A  WIFE 


125 


Untying  the  line,  each  grasped  a  paddle  and  swept  the  canoe 
out  into  the  lake.  They  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  when 
a  loud  snort  caused  them  to  look  back  and  there  on  the 
shore  was  a  gigantic  bear  in  the  act  of  casting  a  long  fish 
line,  and  even  as  they  looked  it  fell,  wrapping  around  the 
stern  of  the  canoe.  The  craft  stopped  in  its  course  with 
a  sudden  jerk  and  then  began  to  speed  backward  to  the 
shore. 

"Quick,  Hatondas,"  exclaimed  his  wife,  "empty  your 
pipe  on  the  line,"  and  Hatondas  obeyed  with  surprising 
alacrity.  The  line  snapped  and  with  a  sweep  of  the  paddle 
this  wife  sent  the  canoe  back  into  its  track. 

Foiled  in  his  attempt  to  capture  the  pair  the  enraged 
monster  pawed  up  the  sand  and  pebbles.  Swelling  to  an 
enormous  size  he  thrust  his  mouth  into  the  water  and 
gulped  it  down  in  such  immense  quantities  that  the  lake 
changed  its  current  and  flowed  toward  the  mouth  of  the 
monster.  Death  seemed  certain  to  the  young  couple  for  the 
canoe  was  drawn  with  great  rapidity  toward  the  beast, 
but  ever  resourceful,  the  young  woman  steadied  herself, 
aimed  and  threw  a  round  white  stone  directly  at  the 
creature's  belly.  It  struck  him  with  great  force  causing  him 
to  jerk  up  his  head  with  a  roar  of  pain  and  then  belch  the 
waters  back  into  the  lake.  In  the  swiftly  outflowing  stream, 
spurred  on  by  the  paddles,  the  canoe  shot  back  to  its  former 
course. 

The  great  bear  was  furious  with  disappointment  and 
roared,  "You  cannot  escape  me,  soon  I  will  catch  you.  I 
am  Nia-gwa-he !"  and  then  began  to  blow  his  icy  breath 
upon  the  water.  Ice  commenced  to  form  and  when  he 
judged  it  sufficiently  thick  he  galloped  out  over  the  surface 
of  the  lake.  "You  cannot  escape  me !"  he  bellowed,  "I  am 
Nia-gwa-he !" 

The  canoe  stood  fast  in  the  ice  and  doom  seemed  cer- 
tain to  its  inmates. 


126 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Don't  be  downcast,  Hatondas,"  said  the  wife,  "only 
trust  me." 

The  wife  knelt  in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe  where  she 
had  a  little  fire  burning  and  a  pot  of  water.2  She  was 
apparently  resigned  to  the  fate  from  which  there  seemed 
no  escape.  Then  when  the  bear  was  almost  upon  them  she 
stood  upright  and  flung  a  kettle  of  steaming  water  at  his 
feet.  The  beast  stopped  with  a  sudden  jerk  as  the  clay  pot 
broke  into  fragments  and  the  water  splashed  upon  the  ice. 
This  momentary  halt  was  fatal,  for  the  water  softened  the 
ice  and  the  monster  sank  beneath  the  waters  and  disap- 
peared.  The  ice  vanished  and  the  canoe  sped  on  once  again. 

Late  in  the  day  the  canoe  grated  against  the  base  of  a 
high  cliff  that  rose  perpendicularly  from  the  water.  The 
wife  called  up  to  the  top.  A  woman  leaned  over  the  edge 
far  above  and  seeing  the  couple  below  dropped  down  two 
pairs  of  claw  mittens.  These  Hatondas  and  his  wife  fast- 
ened to  their  hands,  and,  with  their  aid,  made  their  way 
slowly  and  cautiously  to  the  summit. 

The  wife's  sister  greeted  the  bridal  pair,  and  lead  the  way 
to  a  spacious  lodge  where  a  savory  supper  awaited  them. 

The  wife  told  the  story  of  her  adventure  expressing 
great  joy  at  her  escape  from  the  monster  bear. 

After  the  evening  meal  the  time  for  sleeping  came  and 
together  the  happy  couple  lay  down  upon  a  new  bed  of 
spruce  boughs  and  wrapped  themselves  in  soft  newly- 
tanned  skins. 

A  year  passed  and  to  the  wife  came  twin  baby  boys. 
And  so  precocious  were  they  that  at  their  very  birth  they 
felled  to  the  floor  two  curious  men  who  had  intruded  into 
their  mother's  lodge.  They  grew  so  rapidly  that  in  a  few 
hours  they  had  become  mature  men  of  prodigious  strength 
and  great  agility.  The  old  woman  provided  them  with 
warrior  costumes  and  gave  them  presents  of  bows  and 


-  Fires  were  kindled  in  large  wooden  dugouts.  A  mat  or  pan  of 
clay  prevented  the  embers  from  injuring  the  canoe. 


HAHTONDAS  FIND 8  A  WIFE 


127 


ing  brought  a  bear  and  a  deer  for  the  larder.  A  half  starved 
settlement  now  feasted.  New  houses  were  reared,  and  new 
canoes  built  by  these  wonderful  boys  and  great  riches  came 
to  the  family. 

The  mother  was  happy  in  her  offspring  and  proud,  but 
in  the  midst  of  her  joy  she  began  to  contrast  her  present 
fortune  with  the  unhappy  days  of  her  girlhood.  She  fell 
to  brooding,  and,  as  she  lay  upon  the  ground,  the  roar  of  a 
monster  echoed  through  the  forest.  The  twins  rushed  to 
her  side  exclaiming, 

"Oh  mother,  here  comes  Nia-gwa-he  looking  like  a 
buffalo!" 

The  boys  stood  guarding  their  mother  as  toward  them 
rushed  the  huge  beast.  It  dashed  full  upon  them.  The 
boys  sank  to  their  knees,  and  stabbed  it  on  the  bottom  of 
its  foot.  When  they  arose  their  arms  were  wrapped  around 
the  creature  and  in  a  moment  it  was  thrown  through  the 
air  into  a  grove  of  oaks  and  there  they  buried  it. 


14-    THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  CHESTNUT  TREE. 

In  a  lodge  that  stood  alone  in  a  land  of  hills  lived 
Dadjedondji  with  his  older  brother  Hawiyas.  Dadjedondji 
busied  himself  each  day  in  the  forests  hunting  game,  catch- 
ing fish,  gathering  fruits,  berries,  roots  and  nuts  and  study- 
ing the  wonders  of  the  woods.  He  prepared  his  own  meals 
in  the  lodge  and  always  ate  them  alone,  for,  strange  to  re- 
late, his  brother  steadfastly  refused  to  eat  with  him  or, 
indeed,  to  eat  in  the  presence  of  anyone.  He  never  hunted 
or  cooked,  but  sat  all  day  smoking  moodily. 

The  boy  often  pondered  over  the  strange  difference  be- 
tween his  brother  and  himself  and  at  length  resolved  to 
pretend  to  start  on  his  daily  hunt,  then  turn  back  and 
secretly  watch  his  bother.  He  did  as  he  had  planned  but 
failed  to  discover  his  brother,  Hawiyas,  eating  or  at  any 
extraordinary  practice.  Night  came  and  the  two  boys  lay 
side  by  side  with  their  feet  toward  the  fire.  Dadjedondji 
remained  awake  in  order  to  continue  his  watch  and  toward 
midnight  heard  his  brother  stir.  In  his  anxiety  to  spy  upon 
him  Dadjedondji  sat  upright  and  his  brother  seeing  him 
dropped  back  upon  his  couch.  Dadjedondji  chided  himself 
for  his  impulsiveness  and  when,  some  time  later,  Hawiyas 
asked  in  an  undertone,  "Are  you  awake  now?"  he  remained 
quiet  and  did  not  reply. 

Later  Hawiyas  arose  cautiously  believing  himself  unob- 
served and  crept  to  the  side  of  the  lodge.  Dadjedondji 
was  peeping  through  a  hole  in  the  skin  that  covered  him. 
Hawiyas  pushed  aside  a  sheet  of  bark  and  drew  forth  a 
small  kettle  and  a  tiny  bag.  From  the  bag  he  took  a  small 
nut  from  which  he  scraped  a  few  shavings  with  a  flint. 
Casting  them  into  the  kettle  he  poured  in  a  quantity  of 
water  and  shaking  the  kettle  placed  it  over  the  fire.  The 
water  soon  began  to  heat,  and  as  it  did  so,  the  kettle  in- 
creased in  size  until  a  pudding  was  cooked,  when  he  dipped 

128 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  CHESTNUT  TREE 


129 


it  out,  cleaned  the  kettle,  shook  it  and  stored  it  away  with 
the  bag.  Then  he  began  to  eat  greedily,  and,  having  satis- 
fied his  hunger,  lay  down  and  slumbered  again. 

The  next  night  Dadjedondji  concluded  to  try  the  exper- 
iment and  while  his  brother  slept  crept  to  the  hiding  place, 
found  the  kettle  and  bag,  and  did  exactly  as  his  brother  had 
done.  He  ate  the  pudding  and  found  it  most  delicious. 
Wishing  more,  he  threw  the  entire  contents  of  the  bag  into 
the  kettle  and  set  it  on  to  boil  again.  It  was  not  long  be- 
fore the  kettle  began  to  expand  so  much  so  that  it  filled 
half  the  house.  Moreover  the  pudding  began  to  boil  over 
in  enormous  quantities. 

With  a  cry  of  dismay  the  brother  awoke. 

"Oh  what  have  you  done  ?"  cried  he,  "Oh !  I  am  dead, 
you  have  killed  your  own  brother.   Oh !" 

"What  troubles  you,  brother?"  asked  Dadjedondji  as 
he  skipped  out  from  the  lodge,  "You  do  not  look  very  much 
like  a  dead  man." 

"Oh !"  exclaimed  the  brother,  "you  have  used  all  my 
food.  It  is  all  I  eat  and  can  eat.  No  one  can  obtain  more 
of  its  kind  for  it  is  far  away  and  charmed,  so  you  have 
killed  me !" 

Scarcely  had  he  spoken  when  the  walls  bulged  and  the 
building  collapsed. 

"Oh,  do  not  worry  brother,"  said  Dadjedondji,  '"there 
is  more  where  this  grew." 

"Ah  yes,  but  no  man  can  get  it,  use  what  magic  he  may." 

The  brother  raved  throughout  the  remainder  of  the 
night  but  Dadjedondji  slept  unmoved. 

When  the  morning  came  Dadjedondji  sprang  from  the 
ground  and  expressed  his  surprise  at  his  brother's  sober 
countenance.  "Tell  me  the  full  history  of  your  magical 
food,"  he  commanded. 

Moodily  the  brother  answered,  "To  the  east  is  a  great 
gap  in  the  earth.  Beyond  it  is  a  monstrous  serpent  whose 
poisonous  breath  kills  all  that  comes  where  it  blows.  Should 


130 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


a  man  by  chance,  escape  him,  beyond  are  two  panthers. 
Should  some  cunning  magician  creep  by  unobserved,  be- 
yond, high  in  the  tree  that  bears  the  wonderful  nuts,  is  a 
witch  whose  very  look  makes  men  fall  apart,  and  her  six 
sisters  devour  their  meat.  So  boast  not  my  brother,  you 
cannot  reach  the  tree.  Know  only  this, — you  have  killed 
your  brother." 

Dadjedondji  thought  about  it  and  said  to  himself,  "All 
these  things  are  strange.  They  are  not  right,  neither  are 
they  in  according  with  the  ways  I  know  about,  and,  there- 
fore, I  can  conquer  all  these  obstacles." 

Boldly  he  set  out  with  his  face  toward  the  rising  sun. 
After  a  day's  journey  he  came  to  a  chasm  that  extended  far 
beyond  the  eye's  reach.  "This  is  not  right,"  thought  the 
boy,  so  whittling  a  doll  from  a  soft  chunk  of  decayed  log, 
he  threw  it  across  the  chasm  and  followed  it  with  a  run- 
ning jump.  He  landed  safely  on  the  other  side  and  immedi- 
ately resumed  his  journey.  For  a  time  he  hurried  onward 
and  then  nearly  rushed  into  the  yawning  jaws  of  a  big  snake 
that  leaped  from  a  hidden  cavern. 

"Oh,  get  out  of  my  way,"  said  Dadjedondji  flinging  a 
wooden  doll  into  its  mouth. 

Presently  from  a  thicket  appeared  two  panthers.  Dadje- 
dondji drew  two  more  dolls  from  his  pouch  and  cast  one 
into  the  mouth  of  each  beast.  Then,  without  looking  behind 
hurried  onward  again.  A  song  came  floating  through  the 
air  and  following  the  direction  Dadjedondji  came  to  a  large 
branching  tree.  In  its  topmost  branches  hung  the  singer, — 
a  flayed  human  skin, — but  her  charm  song  had  no  effect 
upon  the  boy  for  he  said,  "It  is  all  wrong  and  I  am  right, 
therefore  evil  cannot  befall  me." 

The  skin-woman  lifted  her  voice  and  sang  with  increased 
vigor,  "An  intruder  comes  to  our  clearing." 

"Come  down  here,"  called  Dadjedondji,  "I  have  a  pres- 
ent for  you,  gaswe"da,  wampum.  Promise  you  will  be 
kind." 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  CHESTNUT  TREE 


131 


The  skin-woman  seeing  the  handsome  purple  quills  de- 
scended and  accepted  the  gift  with  many  grimances  and  then 
drew  back  into  the  tree. 

Now  wampum  is  the  emblem  of  truth  and  the  skin- 
woman  was  entirely  controlled  by  evil.  Holding  the  beau- 
tiful necklace  in  her  hand  she  sang,  "I  have  been  bribed  by 
a  present  of  wampum  not  to  tell  of  a  stranger's  approach." 

While  she  sang  she  threw  the  beads  over  her  head  and 
around  her  neck  and  the  beads  grew  tight  and  choked  her 
into  silence. 

Out  rushed  the  six  sisters  that  had  been  called  raven- 
ous cannibals,  but  their  shouts  were  not  those  of  anger  or 
of  gluttons,  but  glad  cries  of  joy.  Coming  up  to  Dadje- 
dondji  they  saluted  him  and  with  extravagant  flattery 
thanked  him  for  coming  to  rescue  them  from  their  evil 
sister. 

The  gave  him  a  great  bag  of  brown  nuts  and  sent  him 
back  on  his  journey.  The  great  witch  had  now  no  food 
and  perished. 

On  his  return  the  panthers  angry  at  the  deception  he 
had  practiced  on  them,  pounced  from  the  bushes. 

"Go  away,  you  are  not  doing  right.  I  never  heard  of 
panthers  acting  as  you  are.  Are  you  not  ashamed?  Go 
now  and  never  dare  trouble  men  again !  You  are  now 
free!" 

The  panthers,  surprised  at  their  intended  victim's  words, 
rushed  off  in  fright.  Dadjedondji  continued  his  journey 
and  rebuked  the  serpent  and  sent  it  wriggling  to  the  nearest 
lake.    Then  he  addressed  the  chasm. 

"Oh,  Earth,  why  are  you  rent?  This  is  not  the  way  of 
doing  things.  I  have  never  seen  such  fissures  in  my  life 
before.  Close  up  once  again  and  let  men  enjoy  them- 
selves !"  And  the  earth  closed  with  a  loud  crash. 

Walking  safely  across  the  solid  earth  where  once  the 
breach  had  been,  he  persevered  until  he  reached  the  ruins 
of  his  home.    His  brother  was  sitting  mournfully  on  a  log 


132 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


still  lamenting,  but  Dadjedondji  bade  bim  cheer  up,  and 
showed  him  the  large  bag  of  nuts.  He  gave  him  enough 
for  several  meals  and  then  sent  him  on  to  the  lodge  of  the 
six  sisters  where  he  could  find  a  good  wife  to  cook  for  him. 
Then  he  went  upon  the  side  hills  and  scattered  the  nuts 
over  the  ground  and  in  time  beautiful  trees  grew  and  now 
all  the  world  has  chestnuts.  When  they  were  confined  to 
one  tree  they  were  magical  but  now  their  powers  have  gone 
and  they  neither  spread  nor  burst  kettles. 

GENERAL  NOTES. — There  are  a  number  of  stories  similar  to  this. 
In  some  the  hero  is  a  nephew  living  with  his  uncle.  The  adventures 
of  the  hero  in  overcoming  the  magic  beasts  that  guard  the  paths  to 
the  chestnut  tree  are  various  and  recited  in  greater  or  less  detail.  In 
some  stories  the  youth  pacifies  the  hunger  of  the  monsters  by  flinging 
chipmunks  at  them  which  increase  in  size  and  afford  them  a  full  meal. 
In  one  version  the  last  guard  of  the  tree  is  the  skin  of  the  boy's  sister, 
dried  and  hanging  over  the  path.  The  skin  is  alive  but  held  by  sorcery 
as  the  slave  of  the  wicked  witch  sisters.  When  the  hero  presents  the 
wampum  to  her  she  sings  out :  "I  cannot  tell  you  now  that  a  stranger 
is  about  to  assail  us,  for  he  has  stopped  my  mouth  with  wampum." 
The  six  sisters  thereupon  rush  forth  and  finding  no  enemy  beat  the 
skin  and  tell  it  to  tell  the  truth  hereafter  and  not  give  false  alarms. 
In  similar  stories  the  hero  projects  himself  into  the  body  of  one  of 
the  witches,  as  is  done  in  the  story  of  the  magic  arrow  and  the  quilt 
of  men's  eyes.  He  is  then  born  and  cries  incessantly  for  power  over 
the  tree  and  the  witch,  yielding,  he  becomes  master  of  the  chestnuts. 
He  is  also  the  deliverer  of  the  dried  skin  which  he  conjures  back  to  its 
normal  self,  when  he  finds  it  to  be  his  own  sister.  The  mole  is  the 
hero's  dream  animal  and  it  aids  him  to  perform  his  deeds  of  magic. 


15.    DIVIDED  BODY  RESCUES  A  GIRL  FROM  A 
WIZARD'S  ISLAND. 

A  brother  and  younger  sister  dwelt  in  a  lodge  together. 
The  sister  cooked  the  meals  and  the  brother  did  the  hunt- 
ing. The  brother,  whose  name  was  Crow,  never  allowed 
his  sister  to  leave  the  lodge.  "Oh  my  sister,"  he  would  say. 
"Do  not  even  venture  to  the  spring."  When  the  young  man 
went  on  a  hunting  trip  he  would  set  his  dog  as  guard  over 
his  sister  and  caution  him  to  prevent  her  from  leaving  the 
lodge. 

On  a  certain  morning  the  girl  began  to  debate  with  her- 
self the  reasons  why  she  should  be  kept  within  the  lodge. 
Soon  she  decided  that  it  was  wrong  to  keep  her  from  seeing 
the  world  outside.  So  she  pushed  aside  the  curtain,  ex- 
claiming, "Now  I  shall  see !"  Being  thirsty  she  had  taken 
a  bark  water  vessel  and  made  ready  to  dip  water  from  the 
spring.  As  she  sank  her  bowl  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
water  something  grabbed  her  by  the  hair  and  whisked  her 
through  the  air.  She  did  not  know  where  she  was  going 
but  when  she  again  felt  the  ground  beneath  her  feet  she 
looked  about  and  saw  that  she  was  on  an  island  in  a  large 
lake.  Soon  an  old  man  came  to  her  and  said,  "This  is 
where  you  are  going  to  stay,"  at  the  same  time  pointing  to 
a  great  lodge. 

All  about  the  lodge  were  human  bones  from  which  the 
flesh  had  been  gnawed,  and  the  place  was  most  filthy.  The 
girl  then  knew  that  she  had  been  abducted  by  a  cannibal 
wizard,  Ohgwe  las.  She  knew  that  there  was  no  easy  way 
of  escape  but  she  resolved  not  to  give  up  hope.  Each 
morning  Ongwe  las  would  come  to  the  lodge  with  human 
flesh  which  he  would  demand  that  she  prepare  as  food  for 
him.  Then  he  would  demand  that  she  bring  him  water 
from  the  spring,  carrying  it  in  a  bark  container  that  hung 
on  the  center  pole  of  the  lodge. 

133 


134 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


One  morning  while  she  was  at  the  spring  she  saw  a 
young  man  standing  before  her.  He  looked  very  pleasant 
and  soon  spoke  to  her.  "Ohgwe  las  has  not  been  success- 
ful today,"  he  said.  "Tomorrow  morning  when  he  asks 
you  to  bring  him  water  he  will  hit  you  with  his  club,  seeking 
to  kill  you.  Be  ready  and  when  you  reach  for  the  bowl 
jump  around  behind  the  post  and  Ohgwe  las  will  hit  the 
pole  and  break  his  arm.  Then  run  to  the  spring  here  and 
I  will  give  you  assistance.  My  name  is  Sgagedi,  the  Other 
Side." 

The  next  morning  Ohgwe  las  was  very  ferocious  and 
roared  at  the  girl,  ordering  her  to  bring  him  water  from  the 
spring.  Cautiously  she  reached  up  for  the  water  bowl  and 
then  slipped  around  the  pole.  With  a  crash  a  great  club 
swung  against  the  spot  where  the  girl  had  been  but  in  a 
moment  she  had  fled  from  the  lodge,  while  the  monster  was 
bellowing  with  the  pain  of  a  broken  arm. 

Quickly  the  girl  reached  the  spring  where  she  found 
the  young  man  looking  very  pleasant.  "Be  ready  now,"  he 
called.    "My  canoe  is  on  the  shore." 

She  stepped  into  the  canoe  and  sat  in  the  center  while 
Sgagedi  with  a  jerk  shoved  it  from  the  beach,  throwing  one 
half  of  his  body  to  the  bow  of  the  canoe  and  leaving  one-half 
at  the  stern.  He  paddled  from  both  ends  and  went  very 
rapidly. 

Ohgwe  las  soon  restored  his  broken  arm  and  began  to 
sing  a  charm  song,  calling  upon  the  winds  to  blow  the  canoe 
back  to  him.  A  strong  wind  began  to  blow  and  presently 
the  canoe  was  swept  back  to  the  island,  where  Ohgwe  las 
was  waiting  on  shore.  It  seemed  as  though  they  were 
doomed  but  just  as  they  were  about  to  ground,  Sgagedi 
threw  tobacco  on  the  water  and  called  upon  the  wind  to 
blow  the  other  way,  which  it  did.  Sgagedi  now  did  not 
cease  to  paddle  but  kept  up  his  effort  until  the  canoe  was 
safe  on  the  opposite  shore. 

With  a  great  bump  the  canoe  struck  the  beach,  sliding 


DIVIDED  BODY 


135 


up  onto  the  sand.  As  it  did  so  the  body  of  Sgagedi  came 
together  with  a  snap  and  he  became  reunited. 

From  the  beach,  inland  there  was  a  path,  and  by  this  the 
couple  ran  on  into  the  forest.  Presently  the  path  divided 
and  as  it  did  so  Sgagedi's  body  was  cloven  and  each  half 
ran  on,  the  girl  following  the  left  side.  The  path  reunited 
and  so  did  the  body  of  the  man.  Still  the  two  ran  on  until 
they  saw  an  elderly  woman  on  the  path  ahead.  She  ap- 
proached and  took  the  girl  into  a  lodge.  "I  am  glad  you 
came,"  she  said.  "I  have  been  waiting  for  you  to  become 
my  daughter-in-law." 

After  a  while  the  young  woman  and  Sgagedi  were  mar- 
ried, but  the  bride  could  not  be  happy  for  she  continually 
was  saying,  "Oh  where  is  my  brother?" 

Now  when  the  brother  returned  to  his  lodge  and  found 
his  sister  gone  he  had  scolded  the  dog  and  forced  it  to  tell 
what  had  happened.  "I  tried  to  grasp  the  sister  as  the 
monster  seized  her,"  he  asserted,  but  the  brother  called  him 
an  unfaithful  friend,  whereupon  the  dog  turned  into  a 
smooth  stone.  The  brother  grieved  the  loss  of  his  sister 
and  sat  with  his  head  down  before  the  ashes  of  his  lodge 
fire. 

In  due  season  the  sister  bore  two  sons  who  were  twins, 
and  they  quickly  grew  to  be  large  boys.  Every  day  they 
would  run  down  to  the  shore  to  see  their  father  scouring 
the  lake  after  witches  and  monsters,  seeking  to  slay  them. 
At  last  they,  too,  wished  to  explore  the  lake  and  so  took  a 
canoe  and  paddled  across  it  to  the  opposite  shore.  "Now 
we  will  search  for  our  uncle,  for  whom  our  mother  con- 
tinually cries,"  said  they  to  one  another. 

They  noticed  an  old  streak  in  the  sky  and  followed  it 
far  inland  until  they  came  to  a  clearing  overgrown  with 
bushes.  Looking  carefully  into  this  opening,  one  twin  said 
to  the  other,  "A  bark  lodge  appears  to  have  fallen  down 
here."  So  they  went  forward  and  examined  the  ruined 
lodge  and  in  pulling  aside  the  bark  and  poles  they  felt  a 


136 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


body  and  it  was  breathing.  They  pulled  it  out  of  the 
rubbish  and  found  it  to  be  a  man.  They  brushed  him  off 
and  restored  him  to  his  wonted  self.  Then  one  said,  "This 
appears  to  be  our  uncle." 

"I  am  your  uncle,"  said  the  old  man.  "My  dog  is  a 
stone.  Oh,  will  you  restore  my  dog  to  life!"  So  the  twins 
restored  the  dog  and  then  all  went  back  to  the  lake  and 
entered  the  canoe. 

By  rapid  paddling  they  reached  home  that  day  and  when 
the  sister  saw  her  brother  she  knew  him  and  was  very  glad. 


i6.    THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  BUFFALO  SOCIETY. 


A  youth  who  had  wandered  out  into  the  plains  of  the 
West  in  search  of  game,  lost  the  trail,  and  though  he 
searched  with  all  diligence  he  was  unable  to  find  it  again. 
Throwing  himself  upon  the  ground  he  brooded  over  his  ill 
fortune  and  longed  with  all  the  intenseness  of  his  soul  that 
he  might  be  again  back  in  his  native  village. 

It  was  sunset  and  in  the  gloaming  the  youth  saw  a  com- 
pany of  people  gathered  about  a  fire,  evidently  in  earnest 
council.  Cautiously  he  advanced,  hoping  to  learn  who  the 
people  were.  For  several  minutes  he  lay  concealed  in  the 
tall  rank  grass  and  creeping  nearer  was  surprised  to  learn 
that  it  was  he,  himself,  who  formed  the  subject  of  the  dis- 
cussion. Much  greater  was  his  amazement  when  an  old 
lady  arose,  and  walking  directly  to  his  hiding  place  lifted 
him  to  his  feet  and  said,  "Come,  I  have  adopted  you." 

"Oh  is  that  it !"  exclaimed  the  boy  in  disapppointment, 
"I  was  hoping  you  would  guide  me  home." 

"No,  not  yet,"  said  the  old  lady,  "you  must  learn  first." 

Marveling  at  her  words,  the  youth  followed  the  old 
woman  to  her.  lodge  and  dwelt  there. 

It  seemed  strange  to  him  that  the  people  of  the  village 
never  hunted  but  traveled  together  in  bands  over  the 
prairies.  He  wondered  at  the  shaggy  heads  of  the  men  and 
their  dark  hairy  leggings.  He  seemed  as  in  a  dream  and 
yet  all  he  saw  and  did  seemed  real.  He  learned  much  of 
the  wondrous  tribe  with  which  his  lot  had  been  cast,  and 
as  the  months  went  by  he  learned  more  and  more.  Often 
he  danced  in  the  ceremonies  of  the  tribe,  often  he  sang  and 
often  he  made  medicine  in  the  council  lodges  on  the  prairies 
until  he  knew  almost  everything  that  a  tribesman  knew. 
Although  his  sojourn  was  one  full  of  incidents  and  adven- 
tures he  never  ceased  to  mourn  for  his  own  home  and 
people  and  often  plead  to  be  shown  the  trail,  but  his  foster 

137 


138 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


mother  would  only  say,  "No,  not  yet,  for  you  have  not 
learned  all."  What  this  meant  he  did  not  know  and  pined 
as  before  for  home. 

One  night  he  was  awakened  by  the  far-away  sound  of 
a  drum.  Its  slow  dull  note  made  the  youth  more  melan- 
choly than  before.  His  heart  seemed  to  stop  in  its  natural 
course  and  beat  slow  to  the  tap  of  the  drum.  Greatly  de- 
pressed, he  crept  to  the  bedside  of  his  foster  mother  and 
pleaded  for  a  guide  to  his  home  trail. 

"No  not  yet,  my  son,"  said  the  old  woman,  "but  per- 
haps very  soon.  Listen  to  the  sound  of  that  far  distant 
drum.  Now  let  me  tell  you  that  which  you  have  not  known. 
Far  away  to  the  west  beneath  a  great  hill  lives  the  great 
chief  of  all  buffaloes  and  an  evil  chief  is  he.  When  he 
drums  it  is  a  sign  he  wishes  all  to  gather  around  his  mound 
for  he  is  anxious  for  a  race.  He  has  an  evil  plan.  Being 
a  mighty  runner  he  often  calls  us  to  his  lodge  and  he  whom 
the  chief  selects  must  race  until  death  strikes  away  his  life 
from  the  unequal  chase.  The  terrible  race  continues  until 
the  evil  chief  has  satisfied  his  insane  fancy  and  dismissed 
the  assembled  throngs.  Soon  you  will  hear  the  chief  sing 
and  when  he  does  all  of  us  must  answer  his  call  by  starting 
immediately  on  the  journey." 

"How  is  it  that  a  buffalo  is  your  chief  ?"  asked  the 
youth. 

"Because  we  are  all  buffaloes,"  was  the  answer. 

The  youth  bit  his  lip  and  felt  much  chagrined  to  think 
he  had  not  known  this  before.  Surely  he  had  had  sufficient 
evidence. 

Supplementing  the  note  of  the  drum  came  a  song. 
Simultaneously  there  was  a  great  stamping.  Everyone 
was  rushing  at  a  furious  pace  in  the  direction  of  the  song. 
The  youth  ran  with  his  mother.  For  ten  days  and  ten 
nights  the  wild  rush  continued,  ever  led  on  by  the  song. 

On  the  evening  of  the  tenth  day  the  rushing  multitude 
reached  the  hill  from  whence  the  song  issued  and  rested. 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  BUFFALO  SOCIETY  139 


That  night  the  old  lady  came  to  the  youth  and  said : 
"This  has  been  a  terrible  rush  and  many  have  died  from 
exhaustion,  many  from  wounds  and  many  have  been  tram- 
pled to  death.  Many  children  have  been  left  behind  to  die. 
Oh  that  this  may  be  the  last  mad  stampede !  Now  listen, 
he  will  challenge  you  to  a  race.  Do  not  fear,  but  take  this 
medicine  and  when  he  calls  you,  race  him  to  death.  Shoot 
him  in  the  red  spot  on  his  hand.  When  you  awake  tomor- 
row I  will  give  you  a  bow  and  arrow. 

The  youth  awoke  late  the  next  morning  and  to  his 
amazement  saw  a  great  herd  of  buffaloes  gathered  around 
the  hill.  From  the  summit  of  the  hill  came  a  great  roar.  It 
was  the  chief  buffalo  speaking. 

"There  is  a  human  boy  among  us,"  it  said,  "I  command 
him  to  race  me." 

Trembling,  the  youth  walked  toward  the  hill  and  as  he 
did  so  a  shaggy  buffalo  came  sauntering  slowly  up  to  him. 
On  her  neck  was  a  bow  and  arrow. 

"I  am  your  mother,"  said  the  buffalo.  "Remember  if 
you  run  swiftly  you  may  overcome  the  evil  chief.  Remem- 
ber his  body  is,  under  the  skin,  covered  with  a  bony  plate. 
His  ribs  have  all  grown  together  so  that  no  arrow  can  pierce 
to  his  heart.  No  matter  what  is  said,  shoot  only  at  the  spot 
on  his  hand,  for  as  a  human  he  runs." 

"Come  boy,  it  is  time  to  run,"  roared  the  buffalo  chief. 

Around  the  great  hill-like  mound  stretched  two  circles 
of  animals.  Between  them  was  a  path  over  which  the  con- 
testants must  run.  The  buffalo  chief  started  the  race  by 
shouting,  "Catch  me  or  at  sunset  I  will  trample  you  to  the 
dust." 

Undaunted,  the  boy  leapt  to  the  course  and  ran  his  best. 
Toward  noon  the  chief,  surprised  at  the  endurance  of  his 
intended  victim,  yet  believing  himself  safe,  sat  down  for 
rest,  but  the  youth  strode  faster  the  longer  he  ran  and 
doubly  fast  when  the  buffalo  lagged. 


140 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Springing  toward  the  chief  the  youth  shouted,  "I'll 
catch  you,  yow  !  yow  !" 

Up  leaped  the  buffalo  and  panting,  ran  around  the  course 
at  the  top  of  his  speed.  Close  behind  him  was  the  youth, 
disconcerting  him  with  his  cries  of  derision,  and  his  calls 
of  "Yow !  Yow !"  Calling  up  all  his  energy  the  buffalo 
sprinted  ahead  and  sat  down  for  rest,  but  hardly  had  he 
touched  the  grass  when  the  youth  with  his  aggravating 
"Yow  Yow !"  sped  toward  him  shouting,  "I'll  catch  you 
soon.  You  have  not  seen  me  run  yet."  So,  fearing  defeat, 
the  buffalo  chief  ran  as  fast  as  his  magic  could  send  him 
but  to  his  intense  annoyance  the  boy  stuck  close  to  his 
heels. 

The  sun  was  sinking  low  and  as  it  sank  large  and  red  to 
the  level  of  the  western  prairie  the  buffalo  chief  fell  with 
a  groan  and  moaned.  "Oh  I  am  worsted,  I  am  disgraced ! 
Shoot  me,  boy,  shoot  me,  your  one  arrow  will  transfix  my 
heart,  oh  I  am  beaten !"  The  crafty  beast  was  endeavoring 
to  deceive  the  boy  but  the  human  boy  saw  through  the 
beast's  subtilty. 

"Arise!"  commanded  the  boy,  "I  am  ready  to  shoot 
you!" 

"Oh  my  heart,"  moaned  the  defeated  chief  as  he  arose. 

"Throw  up  your  hands !"  and  quicker  than  thought  the 
boy  sent  an  arrow  speeding  into  the  red  spot  on  his  hand. 

A  great  shout  rent  the  air.  The  buffalo  chief  had  fallen, 
had  perished.  The  glad  cry  of  the  assembled  herds  floated 
far  over  the  plains  and  rumbled  like  the  echoing  voice  of 
the  thunder  gods.  Long  did  the  stamping  herds  roar  their 
shout  of  thanksgiving  and  afterward  heaped  upon  him  honor 
and  praise  and  called  him  their  deliverer.  They  promised 
him  all  the  power  that  the  race  of  the  buffaloes  could 
bestow. 

"When  you  wish  health  and  fortune,  when  you  wish  a 
balm  for  fear  and  a  panacea  for  trouble,  and  a  cure  for 
disease  burn  tobacco  and  call  upon  the  spirits  of  the 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  BUFFALO  SOCIETY  141 


buffalo,"  was  the  instruction  of  the  new  chief  who  was 
chosen. 

The  throngs  of  animals  dispersed  in  bands,  each  led  to 
its  range  by  its  chief. 

The  youth  accompanied  the  old  woman  back  to  her 
lodge  ten  days  journey  away  and  listened  attentively  when 
she  imparted  to  him  all  the  secrets  the  buffaloes  knew. 

"You  know  our  dances,  our  songs  and  our  mysteries. 
Preserve  these  things  forever  in  a  society  of  human  crea- 
tures/' said  the  buffalo  woman.  "Now  you  may  go  to  your 
home  among  the  man  animals.  Now  I  bid  you  adieu,  my 
son,  I  am  sorry  you  must  go.  A  guide  will  lead  you  to  the 
trail." 

The  youth  bade  the  people  farewell  and  last  of  all  his 
good  foster  mother  and  followed  the  guide  to  the  trail  that 
lead  to  the  land  of  the  human. 

After  many  days  the  youth  came  to  a  village  of  his 
people  and  calling  a  council  told  his  adventures.  To  all  but 
the  old  folk  he  was  a  stranger,  but  when  he  made  friends 
he  selected  a  company  and  to  them  he  imparted  the  secret 
of  the  buffaloes. 

Thus  originated  the  Society  of  Buffaloes,  which  today 
exists  as  a  power  among  the  Seneca. 


17-    THE  BOY  WHO  COULD  NOT  UNDERSTAND. 

A  Study  in  Seneca  Idioms.   Related  by  Edward  Corn- 
planter,  1906. 

There  was  a  boy  who  had  been  reared  in  the  woods  by 
an  old  woman  who  never  thought  it  worth  while  to  teach 
him  oratory1  or  rhetoric2.  He  had  never  attended  a  council 
or  listened  to  a  sachem's  speech  and  so  he  never  learned  the 
use  of  words.  When  the  old  woman  died  the  boy's  grand- 
father came  and  took  him  home  with  him  hoping  to  make 
him  useful.  The  boy  was  very  obedient  and  obeyed  every 
word  commanded.  His  grandfather  began  to  have  con- 
fidence in  him  and  one  day  sent  him  out  to  locate  a  bear 
tree.  "Now  when  you  discover  the  tree  wade"ode",  (leave 
your  nails  on  it),"  said  the  grandfather. 

Now  the  boy  thought  this  strange  advice  but  hastened 
to  obey  his  old  protector.  After  some  wandering  he  found  a 
bear  tree  and  then  remembering  that  he  must  leave  his  nails 
upon  it  tore  off  his  finger  nails  and  stuck  them  in  the  bark 
of  the  tree.  This  caused  him  most  excruciating  pain  and 
he  was  hardly  able  to  get  home.  However,  he  thought  that 
this  was  to  make  him  brave  and  he  was  confident  that  his 
grandfather  knew  best  how  to  educate  a  warrior.  He  went 
to  his  grandfather  and  proudly  displayed  his  bleeding 
fingers.  "See,  grandfather,"  he  said,  "I  have  found  a  bear 
tree  and  have  left  my  finger  nails  upon  it." 

The  old  man  looked  at  the  boy  in  wonder.  "What  have 
you  done?"  he  asked. 

"Left  my  nails  upon  the  tree,"  answered  the  boy. 

"Oh,  you  poor  ignoramus,"  laughed  the  old  warrior,  "I 
did  not  mean  that  you  should  tear  out  your  nails  by  the 
roots  and  stick  them  in  the  bark.  I  meant  that  you  should 
put  your  eyes  on  the  tree  when  you  saw  one.   When  I  said 


1  Oratory — hai'wanota'. 

2  Rhetoric — haya'dushaiendi. 

142 


BOY  WHO  COULD  NOT  UNDERSTAND  143 


'put  your  nails  on  it'  I  meant  that  you  should  remember  the 
tree  so  that  you  could  take  it  at  any  time  you  wished.  Go 
now  and  put  your  eyes  on  the  tree  (ense"ganeionden')." 

"Oh,  grandfather,"  moaned  the  boy,  "why  did  you  not 
say  what  you  meant!"  and  ran  out  to  put  his  eyes  on  the 
tree.  He  found  the  tree  again,  and  began  pulling  at  his 
eyelids  and  eyes.  Having  no  nails  he  could  not  get  a  good 
hold  and  the  operation  was  most  painful.  Finally  he  gouged 
out  one  eye  with  a  stick  and  hung  it  on  the  bear  tree.  Going 
back  to  his  grandfather's  lodge  he  greeted  him. 

"I  have  left  one  eye  on  the  tree,  grandfather,"  he  said. 
"I  kept  the  other  so  that  I  could  find  my  way  home." 

The  old  man  looked  at  his  grandson  and  was  angry. 
"You  are  most  foolish !"  he  said.  "When  I  say,  'leave  your 
eyes  on  a  thing'  I  mean  that  you  must  be  able  to  recognize 
it  instantly  when  you  see  it  again." 

"Oh,  grandfather,"  wailed  the  boy,  "why  do  you  never 
say  what  you  mean  ?" 

"I  do,"  said  the  grandfather,  "but  you  do  not  easily 
understand  my  meaning." 

Now  when  the  boy  was  recovered  from  his  bruises  the 
old  man  asked  that  the  boy  take  him  to  the  bear  tree  that 
they  might  kill  a  bear.  Each  had  a  bow  and  quiver  of 
arrows.  When  they  reached  the  tree  the  old  hunter  climbed 
up  the  trunk  and  lighted  a  torch  and  threw  smoke  wood 
down  the  hollow  to  smoke  out  the  bear.  "Now,  grandson," 
he  said,  "shoot  him  here  when  he  comes  out,"  and  the  old 
man  patted  his  heart. 

The  bear  came  out  on  a  run  and  as  he  did  the  boy  lifted 
up  his  bow  and  aimed  at  the  old  man's  heart.  It  was  the 
place  that  he  had  been  instructed  to  shoot,  so  he  thought. 

The  old  man  was  exceedingly  angry  and  yelled  out, 
"You  shoot  the  bear,  not  me."  The  boy  shot  the  bear  and 
the  old  man  slid  down  the  tree.  "You  fool,"  he  yelled,  "so 
you  were  going  to  shoot  me !" 

"You  told  me  to  shoot  right  there,  grandfather,"  pleaded 


144 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  boy,  "and  I  wanted  to  obey  for  I  thought  you  knew 
best." 

"No,  I  meant  the  bear,"  retorted  the  old  hunter.  "Now 
we  will  cut  him  up."   So  they  dressed  the  bear. 

Now  it  is  customary  to  call  the  pancreas,  the  oskwi'sont 
(tomahawk)  ;  the  diaphragm  the  o'kaa  (skirt)  ;  the  fat 
around  the  kidneys  the  face  (ogon"sa'),  and  the  ventral  por- 
tion (oho'a),  door.  So  the  old  man  said,  "I  have  placed 
the  door,  the  tomahawk,  the  false  face  and  the  skirt  aside. 
Go  home  and  cook  them  for  me  and  I  will  return.  Split  a 
stick  and  put  the  tomahawk  in  it  and  put  it  in  the  fire.  When 
it  snaps  yell  'Hai-ie'  and  I  will  come." 

Now  the  grandfather  busied  himself  cutting  up  the  bear 
and  cutting  its  meat  into  strips  and  chunks.  He  also  pre- 
pared its  skin.  Then  he  was  ready  to  go  home.  He  glanced 
at  the  log  where  he  had  laid  the  organs  and  found  them  still 
there.  "I  wonder  what  blunder  the  boy  has  made  now," 
he  mused  and  took  them  with  him  to  the  lodge.  When  he 
arrived  there  he  found  that  the  stupid  orphan  had  torn  the 
door  from  its  fastenings  and  had  split  it  into  pieces.  More- 
over the  boy  was  running  around  the  lodge  yelling, 
"Hai-ie !"  Inside  the  old  man  saw  his  best  stone  tomahawk 
in  the  fire.  It  was  read  hot  and  when  a  draft  of  air  struck 
it  it  would  snap  and  every  time  it  did  the  boy  would  whoop, 
"Hai-ie !"  In  a  cauldron  a  false  face,  a  breech  skirt  and 
the  splinters  of  the  door  were  boiling. 

"It  is  too  hot  within!"  explained  the  boy.  "Hai-ie!"  he 
paused  to  say  as  the  tomahawk  snapped.  "It's  too  hot,  so 
I  am  watching  outside  and — hai-ie !" 

The  patience  of  the  long  suffering  grandfather  was  ex- 
hausted and  he  said  some  things  that  the  boy  thought  him- 
self much  aggrieved  for  he  said,  "Why  did  you  not  tell  me 
what  you  meant  ?" 

The  grandfather  took  matters  in  his  own  hand  and 
cooked  the  meal.  The  time  was  at  hand  also  when  he  must 
notify  his  charge  that  by  right  of  birth  he  was  a  chief  and 


BOY  WHO  COULD  NOT  UNDERSTAND  145 


that  on  the  morrow  he  must  commence  his  duties  as  a  run- 
ner. The  next  day  the  old  man  with  due  solemnity  told  the 
boy  that  he  was  a  secondary  chief.  "We  will  have  a  great 
feast,"  he  said.  "I  want  you  to  run  and  notify  all  the  tall 
trees  (Gai'esons),  all  the  rough  places  (Ain'djatgi) ,  all  the 
swamps  (Gain'dagon),  and  all  the  high  hills  (Gai'nonde). 
When  you  return  do  not  fail  to  'jounce  your  uncle  on  your 
knee'  (esen'sent'o')." 

Now  the  young  chief  thought  this  peculiar  but  he  found 
tall  trees  in  plenty  and  invited  them  all  to  the  feast,  likewise 
he  invited  the  mountains  and  the  swamps  and  returning 
gave  his  uncle  a  kick  that  knocked  him  down.  The  uncle 
immediately  did  the  same  thing  to  the  impudent  boy  who 
ran  rather  lamely  back  to  his  grandfather.  The  old  man 
listened  to  the  tale  with  impatience  and  then  explained  that 
the  'tall  trees'  were  the  sachems,  the  'mountains'  the  war 
chiefs,  and  the  'swamps'  the  common  warriors.  By  'uncle' 
he  meant  the  relatives  of  the  family  and  by  'jouncing  with 
his  knee'  simply  to  notify  them.  "Oh,"  gasped  the  boy, 
"why  do  you  never  say  what  you  mean  !"  Of  course  he  had 
the  work  to  do  all  over  and  the  feast  came  in  due  season. 
When  it  was  over  the  boy  said,  "Grandfather,  there  is  meat 
left  and  soup  also." 

"Well,"  said  the  grandfather,  "give  each  one  half  a 
spoon."3 

The  lad  did  not  see  what  good  that  would  do  but  he 
instantly  obeyed,  going  to  the  shed  and  chopping  twenty 
wooden  spoons  in  halves  and  then  giving  each  guest  a  piece. 

"Here  you,"  some  one  objected,  "What  are  these  things 
for?" 

The  boy  was  about  to  say  that  he  had  but  obeyed  his 
grandfather  when  the  old  man  himself  looked  up  and  saw 
that  the  stock  of  finely  carved  spoons  had  been  destroyed 
by  his  stupid  ward.  "Shawen'noiwis !"  roared  the  old 
fellow.  (Sha-wen-noi-wis  means  incurable  fool.)  "Why 
have  you  ruined  my  good  spoons  ?" 


3    This  may  be  a  modern  interpolation. 


146 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"I  did  just  as  you  said,"  was  the  meek  answer.  Then 
he  answered,  "There  is  yet  meat  left,  Haksot !" 

"De  sa  di  wa  o  gwut,  tie  it  on  your  head  and  let  it  hang," 
commanded  the  grandfather,  meaning  that  it  should  be  dis- 
tributed to  the  particular  friends  of  the  family. 

The  boy  took  an  elm  bark  rope  and  tied  the  juicy  meat 
on  his  forehead. 

"It  is  disagreeable,  grandfather,"  he  complained,  "for 
the  juice  and  oil  drip  into  my  eyes." 

The  old  man  explained,  and  the  boy  feeling  much  abused 
answered,  "Oh  why  can  you  never  say  what  you  mean?" 

The  time  came  when  the  boy  chief  must  marry.  The 
grandfather  told  the  boy  where  a  family  of  lovely  girls  lived. 
"Go  shove  your  legs  in  the  door,"  (Satci'nondat — show  your 
leg),  said  he,  meaning  that  the  boy  should  go  visiting. 

The  young  chief  stuck  his  legs  under  the  door  and  sat 
there  all  night.  The  next  morning  the  old  woman  within 
gave  him  a  blow  with  a  corn  pounder  and  he  ran  limping  to 
his  advisor  to  discover  the  trouble.  "Oh  you  fool,"  said  the 
old  man,  "I  meant  that  you  should  'shake  the  old  lady's 
skirt',"  meaning  that  he  should  seek  a  daughter.  When  he 
did  this  however  he  was  kicked  and  pounded  until  he  could 
hardly  crawl.  Now  he  had  a  very  difficult  time  courting  for 
it  is  hard  to  describe  in  direct  words  how  to  court  and  to 
marry,  so  when  he  followed  his  grandfather's  words  he 
found  much  trouble.  Now  when  he  married  his  wife  made 
him  understand  and  he  learned  many  new  things.  Now 
this  is  all  that  I  can  tell. 


GENERAL  NOTES. — The  Boy  Who  Could  Not  Understand  is  the 
only  tale  of  its  kind  secured  by  the  writer  among  the  Seneca.  It 
is  related  as  a  humorous  commentary  on  the  literal  meanings  of  cer- 
tain idioms  of  the  Seneca  that  are  so  well  understood  that  they  never 
cause  confusion.  The  author  of  this  tale  must  have  deliberately 
analyzed  each  term  and  sought  to  give  it  a  literal  application.  One 
might  suppose  that  a  captive  Algonkin  invented  it  to  explain  his  own 
plight  in  learning  the  Seneca  tongue. 

This  tale  was  related  by  Edward  Cornplanter  and  it  has  been 
recorded  essentially  in  his  own  language,  except  where  better  grammar 
or  a  better  word  straightens  out  the  English.  I  am  sure  that  Corn- 
planter  might  have  expanded  his  story  considerably,  but  he  hastened 
it  to  a  conclusion  to  give  me  the  Seneca  equivalents  of  some  obscure 
bits  of  slang  frequently  heard  in  English.  His  own  literal  translations 
of  American  slang  into  Seneca  made  him  wax  merry,  and  he  concluded 
by  saying,  "So  you  see  it  don't  make  any  sense  at  all." 


18.    THE  BOY  WHO  LIVED  WITH  THE  BEARS. 


Hono'  was  an  unloved  stepson.  His  foster  father  never 
had  a  kind  word  for  him  and  begrudged  the  very  food  that 
little  Hono'  ate. 

"You  eat  like  a  wolf,"  the  harsh  man  would  snap.  "It 
is  a  nuisance  to  feed  you." 

"Age',"  sighed  little  Hono',  "when  I  am  a  man  and  can 
hunt  and  fight  I  will  repay  you.  Then  will  you  like  me?" 
implored  the  boy,  but  his  evil  guardian  only  growled. 

At  length  the  stepfather  began  to  cast  about  how  he 
might  rid  himself  of  the  child  and  after  some  meditation 
decided  to  feign  friendliness  and  lure  Hono'  away  on  a 
hunting  excursion.  So  it  happened  that  one  day  he  said 
pleasantly,  "Come  now  Hono',  it  is  time  for  you  to  learn 
to  hunt.   How  would  you  like  to  go  on  a  journey  with  me  ?" 

Hono'  was  delighted  and  promptly  replied  he  would  go. 

The  two  traveled  for  some  time  through  the  bush  lands 
and  Hono'  thinking  this  strange  said,  "I  always  thought 
hunters  went  to  the  deep  woods  and  not  in  the  bushes." 

"Don't  worry,"  the  stepfather  replied,  "I  am  an  old 
hunter  and  know  my  business.  Come  hurry  along,  I  will 
show  you  a  wonderful  place." 

"Well  where  is  my  bow  and  my  quiver  of  arrows?" 
asked  Hono'  anxiously.   "I  ought  to  have  one." 

"Oh  after  a  while,"  was  the  retort.   "Now  hurry  along." 

"And  when  I  am  a  great  hunter  will  you  be  good  to  me 
always?"  asked  Hono',  dreaming  of  the  success  he  hoped 
to  achieve,  but  the  only  answer  was  a  grunt. 

After  a  journey  of  several  miles  the  stepfather  stopped 
abruptly  and  simulating  surprise  said  excitedly,  "See,  look, 
look !  There  is  a  hole.  Hurry  Hono',  crawl  in  and  catch 
the  game.   Oh  you  will  be  a  big  hunter  now !" 

Little  Hono'  was  happy  that  he  could  be  of  service  and 
in  imagination  saw  glorious  days  ahead.    Dropping  upon 

147 


148 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


his  hands  and  knees  he  crawled  into  the  hole  in  the  ground 
and  ran  down  the  tunnel  until  he  could  no  longer  see,  be- 
cause of  the  darkness.  Then,  as  he  was  about  to  return  he 
saw  the  round  opening  ahead  suddenly  grow  dark  and  with 
it  the  entire  cavern.  Guided  by  the  walls  he  ran  forward 
with  speed  born  of  terror  and  crashed  his  head  into  the 
stone  that  obstructed  the  opening. 

Outside  the  evil  man  laughed  in  savage  glee  as  he 
thought  how  easily  he  had  shaken  off  the  untaught  Hono'. 

"He  will  never  push  that  boulder  away,"  said  he,  as  he 
strolled  back  to  his  lodge. 

The  blow  had  stunned  the  boy  but  after  some  time  he 
was  awakened  by  the  sound  of  voices.  Listening  he  discov- 
ered that  on  the  earth  outside  a  council  was  in  session  and 
his  name  was  being  frequently  used.  He  had  not  long 
marvelled  over  the  matter  when  he  heard  someone  endeav- 
oring to  remove  the  stone.  Finally  it  rolled  down  the  hill 
and  a  voice  called  down  the  hole. 

"Come  out  upon  the  earth  if  yet  you  are  living,"  it 
said. 

Shyly  the  boy  emerged  from  the  hole  and  sat  down  upon 
the  grass.    About  him  on  every  hand  were  animals. 

"The  boy  is  rescued,"  said  a  porcupine,  who  seemed  to 
be  the  spokesman.   "Who  will  care  for  him?" 

Instantly  there  was  a  prolonged  medley  of  cries.  Each 
animal  about  him  was  either  barking,  yelping,  grunting  or 
screaching.    Everyone  was  shouting  "I'll  care  for  him !" 

"Hold !"  cried  the  porcupine.  "Do  not  volunteer  with- 
out reason.  You  must  be  fit  for  the  task.  Let  each  tell  his 
temper  and  his  habits  and  most  of  all  what  he  eats,  then  the 
boy  may  choose  his  own  guardian." 

Acting  upon  the  suggestion  each  one  extolled  its  own 
merits  to  the  boy,  but  all  in  turn  were  rejected  until  a  bear 
woman  said,  "I  am  old  and  rather  surly,  but  I  have  a  warm 
heart.  I  live  happily  in  summer  and  sleep  much  in  winter. 
I  eat  honey,  nuts  and  berries." 


BOY  WHO  LIVED  WITH  BEARS 


149 


"Oh  you  will  do,"  interrupted  Hono',  shouting  as  loudly 
as  he  could.   "I  can  stand  that  all  right !" 

To  Hono'  the  strange  part  of  the  proceedings  was  that 
all  the  animals  seemed  human  creatures  and  yet  like  beasts. 
They  all  spoke  in  one  language  and  acted  as  friends  although 
Hono'  believed  many  mortal  enemies. 

The  council  adjourned  and  Hono'  followed  his  bear 
mother  down  a  trail  that  led  to  a  thick  wood. 

On  the  way  the  bear  spoke.  "I  wished  you  to  become 
my  grandson,"  she  said,  "because  I  have  lost  one  and  wish 
you  to  take  his  place  and  drive  away  my  sorrow." 

The  two  soon  arrived  at  a  great  hollow  stub  and  the 
bear  taking  the  boy  by  the  neck  like  a  cub  drew  him  into  the 
hollow.  Hono'  looked  about  and  found  his  quarters  very 
comfortable.  He  was  greatly  pleased  when  the  grand- 
mother introduced  him  to  two  young  bears,  her  grandsons, 
and  told  him  they  were  his  playmates. 

When  Hono'  was  hungry  the  grandmother  bear  gave  him 
a  honey-comb  and  some  dried  berries.  When  he  was  thirsty 
she  gave  him  her  paw  to  suck. 

Hono'  found  his  playmates  boisterous  fellows  and  many 
a  time  he  received  hard  knocks  but  gave  back  as  many  as 
he  received. 

"Have  care,  Hono',"  his  grandmother  warned  him. 
"Wherever  you  get  scratched  hair  will  grow.  So  take  cau- 
tion, for  unless  you  do  you  will  look  like  a  cub." 

Summer  came  and  the  berries  ripened.  The  bear  grand- 
mother suggested  that  it  might  be  sport  for  the  boys  to  go 
with  her  and  gather  the  winter  store  of  berries.  The  boys 
were  delighted  and  consented  instantly.  .  Then  the  old  bear 
said:  "Now,  Hono',  we  always  have  much  trouble  while 
gathering  berries.  Bad  animals  and  bad  men  and  bad  birds 
swarm  to  the  berry  patches  and  seek  to  harm  us.  Now  you 
are  a  warrior  and  I  wish  to  dress  you  in  skins,  to  paint  your 
face  and  to  give  you  a  bow  and  a  quiver  of  arrows.  Run 


150 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


around  the  hill  and  shout  and  whoop  as  loud  as  you  can, 
and  if  enemies  appear,  shoot  without  mercy.  This  done  we 
will  have  a  prosperous  season." 

Hono'  did  as  was  asked  and  returning  reported  that  he 
had  shot  many  birds  but  nothing  else.  The  bears,  therefore, 
went  upon  the  hillside  fearlessly  and  gathered  great  baskets 
full  of  berries. 

The  summer  season  grew  into  autumn  and  nutting  time 
came. 

"This  is  a  dangerous  time,"  said  the  old  bear,  "and  I 
feel  that  evil  will  befall  us.  Hunters  swarm  the  woods  now 
after  autumn  fruits,  roots  and  game." 

It  was  cautiously,  indeed,  that  the  bears  gathered  up  the 
winter's  store  of  nuts  but  for  some  time  no  human  hunter 
was  seen.  One  day,  however,  the  old  bear  exclaimed,  "Ah, 
here  he  comes.  Now  Hono',  I  will  show  you  the  classes 
of  hunters  you  humans  have.  I  do  not  fear  this  one  for  he 
is  a  Do-sko-a-o,  or  brush-in-the-mouth-hunter.  See,  he  is 
chewing  a  pine  twig.  This  gives  us  the  scent  and  we  can 
flee  long  before  he  reaches  us,  for  this  'brush-mouth'  is  too 
careless." 

The  bears  were  hiding  in  a  large  hollow  tree,  and,  true 
to  the  mother  bear's  prophecy,  the  hunter  did  not  see  them 
but  plodded  along  trailing  his  bow  and  chewing  the  pine. 
When  he  had  passed  by  the  bears  scampered  back  to  the 
chestnut  tree  and  climbing  it  shook  down  the  delicious 
brown  nuts. 

On  the  morrow,  as  Hono'  and  the  bears  were  starting 
out,  the  old  bear  exclaimed  in  a  whisper,  "A  hunter  is  com- 
ing, but  fear  not,  he  is  a  blind  man.  See,  he  is  eating  and 
holds  his  bowl  so  far  over  his  eyes  that  he  cannot  see  any- 
thing before  him.  When  he  walks  through  the  forest  he 
looks  neither  right  nor  left  but  walks  unconcerned,  yet 
strangely  hopes  for  game.  Look  again,  for  another  hunter 
will  shortly  appear.  He  is  'heavy  stepper'  and  warns  be- 
fore he  comes.    Still  another  hunter  comes,"  continued  the 


152 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


bear  woman,  "He  is  'swinging  mouth' ;  keep  away  from  his 
chin  and  you  are  safe.  Notice,  he  appears  to  be  singing 
loudly,  but  in  reality  he  is  only  humming  very  low  or  even 
only  thinking  of  his  song.  Listen  to  me  Hono',  bears  can 
hear  singing  if  only  thought  and  sung  in  the  mind." 

On  their  homeward  journey  the  old  bear  putting  her 
nose  to  the  ground  said :  "Alas,  alas !  We  must  hurry  now 
and  hide  for  real  evil  is  coming."  The  bears  hastened  their 
steps  and  soon  were  safely  concealed  in  their  tree.  Then 
the  wise  old  bear  looking  through  her  window  in  a  fright- 
ened tone  said :  "At  last,  a  true  hunter  has  come.  He  is  of 
the  class  we  call  four  eyes.  He  has  a  dog  with  him  and  no 
sign  escapes  their  eyes.  See  even  now  he  is  approaching 
this  tree.  Ah,  he  is  a  great  hunter  and  is  your  own  evil 
foster-father.  When  he  cuts  down  the  tree  let  me  run  first, 
and,  last  of  all,  Hono'  you  follow." 

Scarcely  had  she  spoken  when  the  hunter  approached  the 
tree  and  surveyed  it  critically.  Gathering  some  dry  leaves 
and  twigs  he  built  a  fire  around  the  dry  old  stub  and  as  the 
flames  ate  in  he  cut  out  the  coals  leaving  a  fresh  surface  for 
the  fire.  In  a  few  minutes  it  crashed  and  fell.  The  old 
woman  bear  rushed  out  and  began  to  run  towards  the  west 
but  had  only  taken  a  few  leaps  when  an  arrow  pierced  her 
heart,  but  her  ghost-body  ran  on.  The  two  cubs  emerging 
met  death  in  a  similar  way,  then  Hono'  crawling  out  cried, 
"Father,  are  you  going  to  shoot  me,  too?" 

"Age' !"  exclaimed  the  hunter  in  surprise.  "How  came 
you  here,"  and  Hono'  told  his  story. 

The  stepfather  was  greatly  impressed,  and  taking  the 
boy  by  the  hand,  said,  "I  am  sorry,  my  boy,  I  was  ever 
unkind.  I  am  sorry  I  killed  your  friends.  If  you  had  only 
called  me  I  should  have  hearkened  and  all  would  have  been 
well,  but  now  Age' !   I  shall  always  have  bad  luck !" 

The  hunter  looked  upon  his  stepson  with  great  awe  and 
invited  him  back  to  his  home,  for  he  was  afraid  of  the  bear 
ghosts. 


BOY  WHO  LIVED  WITH  BEARS 


153 


"And  am  I  useful  now?"  asked  the  boy,  "and  will  you 
like  me?" 

The  hunter  said,  "truly." 

He  never  dared  hunt  again  but  Hono'  did. 


GENERAL  NOTES. — In  this  legend  an  unloved  stepson  is  lured  to 
a  hole  in  the  ground  by  his  foster  father  and  caused  to  enter  it  on  the 
pretense  of  looking  for  game.  The  hole  is  then  closed  by  a  boulder 
and  Hono'  left  a  prisoner.  Soon  he  hears  animals  talking  about  his 
fate  and  in  a  few  moments  the  boulder  is  rolled  away  and  he  emerges 
to  hear  a  lively  discussion  by  the  animals  as  to  who  can  best  care  for 
him.  A  bear  mother  finally  secures  him  and  takes  him  with  her,  in- 
structing him  in  the  ways  to  avoid  the  human  beings  who  hunt  bears. 
In  the  end  the  bear  mother  gives  up  her  life  to  save  Hono'  and  he 
escapes  only  to  find  tha  this  foster  father  was  the  hunter.  The  two 
become  reconciled. 

The  ideas  of  the  bear  mother  and  of  the  bear  wife  of  a  human  man 
are  common  Seneca  concepts. 

This  legend  was  related  during  the  winter  of  1904-1905  by  Edward 
Cornplanter.  Later  I  secured  versions  from  Mrs.  Aurelia  J.  Miller 
and  David  George.  From  the  notes  of  all  these  versions  this  present 
version  has  been  compiled.  I  am  aware  that  it  is  in  my  own  words 
rather  than  in  the  language  of  any  one  of  my  informants.  I  have 
added  nothing,  however,  and  have  carefully  kept  the  story  to  its 
original  form. 


19-    THE  SEVENTH  SON.1 


My  grandfather  used  to  tell  it  to  go  to  sleep  by. 

There  were  seven  brothers  two  years  apart.  Their 
grandparents  took  care  of  them.  They  were  all  extra 
hunters.  It  seems  the  way  my  grandfather  told  it,  each 
one  shot  an  animal  and  used  its  skin  for  a  short  skirt;  one 
had  bear  skin  and  the  others  different  skins. 

The  grandparents  knew  of  a  family  of  beautiful  daugh- 
ters a  good  ways  east  that  would  make  good  wives,  but  had 
bad  habits.   Oh  my,  they  were  queer  folks. 

It  seems  each  boy  must  go  out  when  he  was  come  to 
manhood  and  listen  for  signs  of  women, — the  women  to 
marry.  So  when  the  oldest  was  a  man  the  grandfather  said, 
"Now  you  must  go  away  and  listen,  then  come  back."  All 
right,  so  he  went  away  and  by  and  by  he  came  back  and 
said:  "Oh  Grandfather!"  "Now  wait,"  said  the  grand- 
father, "I  must  smoke  first."  So  he  filled  up  his  pipe  hard 
and  took  a  coal  and  made  big  clouds, — smoke,  it  was.  Then 
by  an'  by  he  said,  "Now  you  tell  me."  So  the  boy, — man 
now, — said,  "O-whoo-oo-o.  Whoo-ho-wa-a  !"  "All  right," 
grandfather  says,  "next  morning  you  go  off  again.  Go  east 
and  don't  stop.  You  keep  right  on."  So  he  went  on  and 
didn't  come  back. 

By  and  by  the  second  son  said,  "I  am  a  man  now.  Now's 
my  time  to  go  off."  All  right,  so  he  went  off  and  came  back 
and  heard  a  wren  and  he  said  he  had  heard  something. 
When  the  grandfather  finished  smoking  he  said:  "Now  you 
follow  that  on  and  keep  right  east  and  don't  stop  'tall."  So 
he  never  came  back. 

So  turns  came  to  all  and  they  went  too,  same  way  and 
heard  crow,  rabbit,  deer,  cracking  sticks,  and  they  followed 
the  sounds. 

i  A  legend,  written  verbatim  as  told  in  Indian-English  by  Aurelia 
Jones  Miller,  Gah-yoh'wes,  whose  grandfather,  Chief  Warrior,  told  it 
to  her  when  she  was  a  child. 


154 


THE  SEVENTH  SON 


155 


Then  the  seventh  son  came  of  age  and  he  was  a  kind 
of  a  witch  [sic]  and  he  dressed  up  in  his  best.  Now  I  am 
going  to  describe  his  dress.  He  had  a  short  skirt  to  the 
middle,  most  to  his  knees,  made  of  nice  spotted  deer-skin, — 
yearling, — and  he  had  nice  moccasins  and  nothing  else  only 
a  ga-ge-da,  (a  breast  sash).  And  so  he  was  like  a  big 
witch.2  He  went  off  and  he  didn't  turn  round  when  he 
heard  a  noise  but  kept  right  on  going. 

By  and  by  he  came  to  a  path  and  saw  one  man's  tracks, 
by  and  by  two,  three,  four,  by  and  by,  good  many, — regular 
path.  Pretty  soon  so  many  that  the  path,  it  was  good  deal 
dust  in  it,  and  he  kept  on.  Then  he  noticed  other  tracks 
and  paths  coming  on, — the  big  road  it  is,  now,  from  every 
direction.  Now  way  off  in  the  distance  he  saw  smoke  ris- 
ing. He  kept  looking.  He  thought  something  was  going  to 
happen.  He  was  all  alone  on  the  big  path  in  the  dusty 
plain.  Path  gets  wider  the  more  he  goes  along.  By  and  by 
he  thinks  he'd  better  look  nice  so  he  stripped  off  some  bark 
and  rolled  it  and  spit  on  it  to  make  a  nice  neck-string.  My ! 
it  was  a  nice  one  and  shined  where  he  spit  on  it.  By  and 
by  he  went  along  and  he  saw  a  bush  and  a  big  thing  on  it — 
what  hornets  live  in, — hanging  down.  It  was  a  very  big 
thing,  so  he  went  up  slow  and  took  some  moss  and  clay  in 
his  fingers  and  made  a  plug  and  pasted  up  the  door  where 
hornets  came  out.  Then  he  picked  it  off  and  he  was  a  big 
witch,  and  rolled  the  big, — why,  I  guess  it's  nest,  you  call 
it, — roll  in  his  hands  and  got  it  small  like  a  little  bottle  and 
he  spit  on  it.  My,  it  shined !  Then  he  fastened  the  bottle 
to  his  neck  on  the  bark.  Oh  it  looked  nice !  Then  he  shook 
up  the  bottle  hard.  Oh !  Then  he  went  along  and  he  saw 
a  milk-weed  stalk  with  pods  popped  open.  So  he  pulled  out 
the  white  threads  and  cut  the  stalk  and  got  his  hands  sticky 
— and  rubbed  it  on  his  long  hair.  Then  he  spit  on  it  some 
more  and  stuck  in  the  white  stuff  and  worked  a  long  time 


2  The  Seneca  seldom  use  any  other  word  to  describe  a  sorcerer, 
when  relating  legends  in  English. 


156 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


and  it  looked  nice.  You  couldn't  see  his  black  hair.  It 
looked  all  white,  like  a  dandelion.  So  he  went  along  and  he 
thought  he  would  spit  on  his  hands  and  rub  it  on  his  body 
and  he  did  and  it  got  all  colors  and  they  changed.  Oh  my ! 
And  he  went  on  and  he  began  to  notice  he  was  going  down 
hill  and  he  went  on  and  the  hill  got  steeper.  He  saw  smoke 
all  the  time  and  now  he  saw  it  coming  out  of  a  big  house 
and  the  road  went  right  into  the  door.  And  the  hill  got 
steeper  and  by  and  by  very  steep  and  slippery.  And  he  got 
there  and  said,  " Yo  hoh' !  I  am  in  for  it  now !"  So  he 
looked  sharp  and  saw  a  woman  in  the  door  and  he  was  all 
right.  Then  all  of  a  sudden  he  looked  around  and  oh  my ! 
his  foot  slipped  and  he  fell  right  down  the  hill  and  didn't 
stop  until  he  landed  right  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  Now 
the  old  woman  there  said,  "Yes,  get  the  kettle  ready.  We've 
been  waiting  long  enough  for  that  animal." 

Now  there  were  seven  sisters  there  and  the  oldest  was 
an  old  maid  and  all  were  except  the  youngest,  and  the  oldest 
said,  "Go  get  the  knife  and  we  will  butcher  him."  So  they 
tied  his  body  to  a  post  and  they  were  ready  to  kill  him. 
Then  the  youngest  said,  "Oh  look,  he  isn't  like  the  others. 
He  has  curious  hair  and  his  body  shines !  His  skirt  is  nice, 
it  is  spotted  and  pretty  and  has  deer's  hoofs  rattling  for  a 
fringe.  Let  us  look  at  him."  So  she  touched  his  hair  and 
pulled  it  and  said,  "My,  it  is  funny,  it  won't  pull  out.  Let's 
not  kill  him  yet."  So  she  looked  at  him  some  more.  Pretty 
soon  she  says,  "Oh  what  a  funny  bottle,"  and  she  pulled 
out  the  cork  and  all  of  a  sudden,  out  came  something,  bump, 
on  the  floor.  Now  he  was  a  great  witch  and  when  the 
hornets  struck  the  floor  he  used  his  great  magic,  and  oh ! 
it  was  strong  magic !  Now  when  the  women  looked, 
Ah-gey !  the  hornets  were  warriors !  And  they  kept  falling 
out  until  the  house  was  full  and  the  hornet  captain  took  out 
his  knife  and  cut  the  strings  on  the  post  and  then  he  stopped 
up  the  bottle. 

The  old  woman  called  her  youngest  daughter  to  her 


THE  SEVENTH  SON 


157 


and  said:  "I  am  a  big  witch  but  he  is  a  bigger  one.  If  I 
get  beaten  you  must  burn  down  the  house  and  all  things 
in  it.  You  must  burn  all  the  medicine  because  it  will  kill 
you  all  if  you  don't.  Then  have  all  the  ashes  of  me  and 
everything  buried."  Then  the  mother  rushed  and  yelled, 
"Kill  him  !"  and  she  tried  it  but  a  hornet-man  warrior  raised 
his  tommahawk  and  he  didn't  hit  her  but  she  fell  down 
dead.  So  the  oldest  sister  ran  to  stick  a  knife  in  him  and 
a  warrior  raised  his  arm  and  she  fell  dead  and  he  didn't  hit 
her.  And  they  were  all  afraid  and  stood  back  and  the 
youngest  daughter  kind  o'  cried  and  said,  "I'll  give  up  my 
way  and  eat  what  he  eats  and  I'll  take  him  for  my  hus- 
band."   So  right  away  the  chief  hornet  married  them. 

So  there  was  no  more  fighting  and  it  was  dark  and  he 
and  the  seventh  daughter  went  to  bed  because  they  were 
married  and  the  five  sisters  planned  to  kill  him  as  he  slept 
but  it  was  so  he  had  a  friend,  a  guard  who  was  a  star.  And 
the  star  came  down  and  sat  on  his  eye  and  the  witch  sisters 
thought  him  awake  and  by  and  by  the  star  went  away,  but 
it  was  morning  then  and  they  couldn't  kill  him. 

So  that  day  he  ordered  the  big  lodge  to  be  burned  and 
all  the  medicine  in  it  and  the  body  of  the  mother  in  it.  It 
was  a  very  big  fire  and  hot  and  after  awhile  the  mother's 
head  burst  open  and  up  in  the  smoke  flew  all  kinds  of  evil 
birds  that  no  one  eats, — owls  and  screech  owls,  and  hawks 
and  crows,  and  big  crow  buzzards,  and  black  eagles  and 
wild  poison  animals  with  feathers.  Now  the  wife  said  he 
must  not  kill  those  animals  but  let  them  fly  away.  She  told 
him  before  her  mother  died  that  must  be  the  way.  So  that's 
how  it  happened  all  kinds  of  mischief  got  scattered  around. 

Then  the  sisters  told  him  that  once  in  a  fight  all  of  their 
men  were  killed  and  everybody  else  only  them  and  they 
didn't  have  any  men  and  wanted  some  now  because  they 
had  made  up  their  minds  that  they  wouldn't  eat  any  more 
people.  So  some  of  his  warriors  married  the  sisters  and 
others  he  sent  out  to  find  wives  for  some  of  the  hornet  men 


158 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


had  no  hornet  wives.  He  wanted  to  make  a  big  village 
there. 

So  then  he  went  back  and  brought  his  grandparents  to 
the  new  village  and  they  were  surprised  and  knew  he  was  a 
big  witch  then.  Now  when  all  the  warriors  had  returned 
with  wives  he  said,  "You  are  mine."  Then  he  uncorked 
his  bottle  and  let  out  more  warriors  for  his  grandparents. 
So  they  went  to  another  village  and  the  warriors  built  houses 
and  boats  and  cleared  land  and  made  a  big  town. 

Now  the  youngest  daughter  told  her  husband  where  his 
brother's  bones  were  hidden.  And  she  showed  him  the 
spot  and  he  dug  up  the  bones  and  was  in  a  hurry  to  match 
them  and  smoked  on  them  and  they  came  to  life  again  but 
he  had  been  in  too  much  of  a  hurry.  He  didn't  put  the 
bones  together  the  right  way  they  ought  to  be  and  that  was 
very  bad  because  when  the  meat  grew  on  again  some  had 
long  legs,  some  long  some  short,  some  had  broken  arms, 
some  too  many  fingers,  some  not  enough,  some  had  not 
enough  ribs  and  so  were  soft  and  bent  over.  Oh  they  were 
in  an  awful  fix !  Their  bones  were  not  a  match  and  some 
were  missing  because  they  had  been  chewed  up.  Oh !  But 
the  brothers  had  lots  of  hornets  to  work  for  them  and  it  was 
easy.  So  now  that's  why  crooked  and  lame  people  come  to 
be  born.  They  are  the  grandchildren, — way  down, — of  the 
brothers,  and  it  is  awful ! 

Now  that's  only  how  far  my  Grandfather  told  us  be- 
cause he  said  we  wouldn't  go  to  sleep  if  we  listened  to  more 
and  he  never  finished  it  but  next  time  began  it  all  over  again. 

GENERAL  NOTES. — This  is  a  characteristic  Seneca  legend  and  its 
elements  are  not  at  all  unusual.  As  a  variation  I  have  given  it  almost 
exactly  in  the  same  language  as  originally  related  to  me  by  Mrs. 
Aurelia  Jones  Miller.  My  informant  was  a  woman  of  unusual  natural 
intelligence  and  spoke  English  fairly  well,  but  she  frequently 
ommitted  the  articles,  "the,"  "an"  and  "a,"  and  in  other  ways  her 
language  was  picturesquely  provincial,  but  typical  of  the  reservation 
brogue. 

The  conclusion  of  the  story  copies  a  common  theme,  that  of  restor- 
ing the  bones  of  persons  slain  by  witchcraft.  The  hero  is  in  too  much 
of  a  hurry  and  forces  the  skeletons  to  assemble  so  quickly  that  the 
bones  are  mismated,  producing  cripples  and  misshapen  people  when 
they  are  conjured  back  to  living  flesh. 


20.    THE  BOY  WHO  OVERCAME  ALL  MAGIC  BY 
LAUGHTER.1 

The  world  was  once  visited  by  a  demon  of  enchantment 
who  scattered  all  the  people  and  bewitched  all  the  animals, 
all  the  trees,  all  the  lakes,  all  the  rivers,  all  the  boys  and 
girls  and  all  the  older  people.  Strange  to  say,  nobody  knew 
that  they  had  been  enchanted ;  they  only  knew  that  all  their 
wishes  were  thwarted  and  that  there  was  misery  every- 
where. 

Now,  Gajihsondis  did  not  know  that  he  had  been  placed 
under  an  evil  spell.  He  was  a  boy  and  was  filled  with  all 
the  ambitions  of  a  boy,  but  all  his  desires  were  curbed  by 
his  queer-looking  old  grandfather.  The  boy  did  not  even 
know  that  it  was  strange  to  live  in  a  hole  in  the  ground 
under  his  grandfather's  bed  or  to  be  whipped  with  burning 
switches.2  He  only  knew  that  he  wanted  to  do  things, — 
to  play  down  by  the  spring  and  to  go  hunting.  After  a 
while  he  grew  curious  to  know  the  reason  of  things  and  so 
asked  many  questions. 

One  day  when  he  had  grown  to  the  age  of  twelve  years 
he  asked :  "My  grandfather,  where  are  my  parents  ?  Why 
have  you  never  taken  me  to  my  father  and  my  mother?" 

His  grandfather  eyed  him  curiously  and  refused  to  give 
Gajihsondis  any  satisfaction.  But  the  boy  kept  question- 
ing until  the  old  man  growled  like  a  bear  and  said :  "My 
grandson,  you  should  not  ask  questions.  You  have  forced 
me  to  speak  and  you  must  not  blame  me  for  the  trouble  that 
you  have  now  brought  upon  the  world.  You  shall  now  die 
because  I  am  about  to  answer  you.  There  is  a  spring  near 
the  path  that  leads  from  this  lodge  into  the  deep  forest.  I 
have  never  let  you  go  there  because  in  that  spring  is  a  terri- 
ble monster  that  is  filled  with  great  magic.    His  orenda 

1  Related  by  Edward  Cornplanter. 

2  Or,  a  burning  brand  from  the  fireplace. 

159 


160 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


(magical  potence)  is  more  powerful  than  anything  else  in 
the  world.  If  you  go  far  from  this  lodge  the  beast  will 
reach  out  with  his  long  claws  and  devour  you.  You  have 
never  been  allowed  to  stray  from  the  doorway  because  of 
this.  But  now  that  you  know  this  circumstance  you  must 
learn  to  use  a  bow  and  arrow.  You  must  become  a  hunter, 
for  what  I  have  told  you  has  made  me  very  old  and  I  shall 
soon  be  unable  to  hunt." 

The  old  man,  looking  more  ugly  than  ever,  went  to  his 
hunting  pouch  and  took  out  a  small  bow  and  a  quiver  of 
arrows.  "Now,  take  these,  my  grandson.  Go  and  hunt. 
Find  your  first  prey  on  a  tree." 

Gajihsondis  went  out  of  the  lodge  very  happy.  "I  am 
now  a  hunter,"  thought  he.  "I  shall  soon  bring  in  all  the 
meat."  He  watched  carefully  for  signs  of  game.  Then  he 
spied  what  he  thought  a  great  bird  upon  the  trunk  of  a 
tree.  He  lifted  up  his  bow  and  shot  but  missed  his  quarry. 
Thereupon  he  ran  back  to  the  lodge  and  cried :  "Oh  grand- 
father, I  have  been  unable  to  kill  my  prey."  Then  he  wept 
with  disappointment. 

"I  thought  you  would  fail,"  said  the  grandfather.  "You 
have  never  had  practice.  I  will  hang  up  the  foot  of  a 
raccoon  and  you  must  shoot  this  wherever  I  hang  it.  When 
you  hit  it  every  time  without  missing  once  you  may  go  on 
a  hunt  again."  He  then  hung  the  coon's  foot  by  a  cord  to 
the  roof-pole  and  allowed  it  to  dangle  over  the  fire.  "I  am 
going  on  a  hunt  now  but  it  will  be  my  last.  If  you  are  un- 
able to  hit  the  raccoon's  foot  by  the  time  I  return  we  are 
lost." 

Thereupon  the  grandfather  took  his  hunting  equipment 
and  departed.  This  gave  Gajihsondis  his  chance.  After 
many  failures  he  hit  the  foot  and  when  he  became  proficient 
he  tried  other  things. 

After  many  days  the  grandfather  returned.  "We  are 
lost  now,"  said  he.    "The  beast  is  coming  to  devour  us. 


BOY  WHO  OVERCAME  ALL  MAGIC 


161 


Only  four  days  remain  for  us  to  live.  "I'll  shoot  it,"  ex- 
claimed Gajihsondis.    "I  am  a  good  marksman  now!" 

The  old  man  laughed.  "Oh  no,"  said  he.  "I  gave  you 
an  arrow  that  can  never  hit  its  mark.  You  cannot  shoot." 
"But  my  grandfather,"  contradicted  the  boy,  "I  never  miss 
the  mark."    The  granfather  grounted,  " Wha-a-a-ah." 

Gajihsondis  then  shot  the  raccoon's  foot.  This  made  the 
old  man  look  up.  "It  is  only  a  chance,"  he  said.  "You  had 
power  with  you  but  for  a  moment.  Never  more  can  you 
do  it.  I  will  place  the  foot  elsewhere.  Thereupon  he  threw 
it  to  the  top  of  a  tall  tree.   "Now  you  cannot  hit  it,"  he  said. 

Gajihsondis  took  easy  aim  and  hit  the  foot  knocking  it 
from  its  hanging  to  another  tree  much  higher  and  with  a 
second  arrow  he  knocked  it  again,  bringing  it  to  the  ground. 

Instead  of  being  pleased  the  old  man  was  very  angry 
and  said  :  "Who  has  been  here  to  guide  you  ?  There  is  some 
evil  thing  lurking  about.  Well,  never  mind  this,  you  can 
not  kill  real  game.    You  have  no  arrows  to  hit  anything." 

Gajihsondis  then  went  out  and  saw  the  bird  he  first  had 
aimed  at.  Again  he  shot,  and  killed  it  this  time.  Taking  it 
up  he  ran  in  great  glee  to  his  grandfather.  "Oh  contempt!" 
exclaimed  the  old  man.  "You  have  killed  nothing  but  a 
chickadee."  But  even  so,  the  old  man  worried,  for  he  knew 
that  his  grandson  had  killed  the  first  creature  which  by 
custom  a  child  is  permitted  to  kill  when  he  learns  to  hunt. 

Again  the  boy  went  out  and  soon  returned  with  a  rac- 
coon. It  was  a  fine  fat  animal  and  made  a  good  meal  for 
the  two,  but  the  grandfather  ridiculed  the  boy  and  said  it 
was  only  temporary  luck,  for  the  boy  possessed  no  orenda 
(magical  power).  Again  the  boy  tried  his  skill  and  killed 
a  fine  turkey  which  the  old  man  dressed  and  cooked,  at  the 
same  time  sneering  as  before.  On  his  fourth  excursion 
Gajihsondis  killed  a  deer  and  brought  it  in.  This  time 
the  old  man  angrily  exclaimed,  "It  is  not  right  that  you 
should  become  proficient  as  a  hunter  but  it  seems  that  you 


162 


MX  EC  A  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


have.  Oh  now  we  shall  all  die  for  you  will  consider  your- 
self able  to  leave  this  lodge  and  to  follow  the  path." 

Now,  this  is  just  what  Gajihsondis  wanted  to  do.  He 
had  only  one  desire, — to  overcome  the  monster  that  barred 
him  from  his  father  and  mother.  "Now  I  am  going,"  said 
he,  without  further  ado.   "I  shall  slay  the  monster." 

The  old  man  scolded  and  wept,  but  Gajihsondis  was 
soon  out  of  sight  down  the  well-beaten  path  that  led  from 
the  lodge  into  the  deep  forest.  After  a  day's  journey  he 
found  a  gigantic  frog  crying  out  terrible  threats.  "Whoso 
comes  near  this  spring,"  he  croaked,  "shall  die.  I  eat  who- 
ever comes  near  this  spring." 

Gajihsondis  was  not  a  bit  frightened;  he  simply  drew 
his  bow  and  shot  the  frog,  and  though  it  was  larger  than 
he,  he  tied  its  feet  together  and  hung  it  to  his  carrying  frame 
and  returned  to  his  grandfather's  lodge.  The  old  man  was 
very  angry  but  the  boy  only  laughed.  Now  he  had  learned 
a  new  trick,  that  of  laughing.  He  had  never  done  this  be- 
fore and  to  have  him  laugh  made  his  grandfather  even 
more  angry. 

The  grandson  went  out  a  second  time  and  found  a 
gigantic  duck  guarding  the  spring.  It  cried  out  threats  and 
proclaimed  its  great  power.  This  did  not  daunt  Gajihsondis 
who  merely  fixed  his  bow  and  shot  it.  Again  he  returned  to 
his  grandfather  who  became  even  more  angry.  "How 
could  you  do  this  ?"  he  asked.  "By  magic  the  path  was 
changed,  but  you  found  the  spring  again.  You  shall  not 
find  it  again." 

For  a  third  time  the  boy  went  out  on  his  hunt  for  the 
spring  and  easily  found  it,  for  as  plain  as  day  he  could 
see  a  path  leading  directly  to  it.  (Now  this  was  strange  for 
it  was  not  a  path  that  ordinary  eyes  could  see,  which  made 
the  grandfather  believe  that  it  could  not  be  discovered.) 
When  he  neared  the  spring  he  heard  the  cries  of  a  great 
beaver  threatening  to  gnaw  anyone  in  twain  who  ap- 
proached the  pool.    It  was  a  very  terrifying  beaver  but 


BOY  WHO  OVERCAME  ALL  MAGIC 


163 


Gajihsondis  found  it  an  easy  mark  for  his  arrows.  He 
laughed  as  he  trussed  it  in  his  carrying  frame  and  laughed 
as  three  days  later  he  flung  it  down  at  his  grandfather's 
doorway.  The  old  man  roused  himself  in  furious  anger  and 
flung  his  "bundles"3  in  the  fire.  He  pawed  the  earth  like 
a  beast  and  shouted  until  his  throat  bled,  but  Gajihsondis 
only  laughed  again  and  went  away,  saying,  "Oh  it  is  very 
easy !" 

Now  when  he  went  down  the  path  Gajihsondis  knew 
that  it  had  been  changed.  First  he  had  gone  north,  then 
west,  then  south,  and  now  he  was  going  east  over  the  path, 
that  while  invisible  to  common  eyes,  was  visible  to  him,  yet 
he  did  not  know  how  he  could  see  it.  For  if  he  tried  to  look 
he  could  see  nothing,  and  when  he  did  not  try  he  could  see 
everything.   He  also  knew  something  that  he  would  not  tell. 

For  a  fourth  time  he  drew  near  to  the  mysterious  pool. 
It  was  most  beautiful  and  the  trees  about  it  were  very  tall. 
There  were  rocks  looking  like  enchanted  beasts  asleep  about 
it.  The  water,  itself,  was  very  clear  and  sparkled  as  if 
the  sun  were  upon  it,  even  when  it  was  night.  Gajihsondis 
went  right  up  to  the  spring  and  flung  in  a  fishing-line.  In 
an  instant  he  had  a  bite  and  some  terrifying  thing  began  to 
pull  him  into  the  water,  but  though  he  was  sore  pressed 
and  saw  himself  falling  over  the  edge  of  the  pool  he  laughed, 
and  when  he  did  he  gave  a  great  pull,  staggered  backward, 
and  pulled  out  a  lizard  four  times  his  own  length.  It  was 
the  blue  Dagwen"nigon'ge.  Though  he  had  hooked  it  the 
creature  was  not  dead,  but  as  Gajihsondis  looked  at  it,  it 
sprang  toward  him  with  a  cry  and  bit  off  both  his  legs.  This 
made  Gajihsondis  laugh  with  all  his  might  and  he  laughed 
so  hard  that  the  beast  grew  weak.  The  creature  then  de- 
spairing of  killing  the  boy  stabbed  him  in  the  breast  with  its 
tail,  crying,  "Put  me  back  in  the  spring." 

Again  the  boy  laughed.   "Oh  how  can  I  put  you  back  in 


3  His  charm  bundles,  because  he  believed  them  to  have  lost 
potency. 


164 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  spring,"  said  he,  "seeing  that  I  have  no  legs  wherewith 
to  walk?  Replace  my  legs  and  I  will  put  you  back."  Then 
he  laughed  again. 

Now  the  lizard  was  a  creature  of  great  magic  and  it 
conjured  a  man  and  a  woman  who  came  forth  from  the 
water  and  made  Gajihsondis's  legs  whole  again  and 
smoothed  up  the  wound  where  the  incision  had  been.  The 
boy  laughed  and  instead  of  thanking  them  caught  them  with 
his  fish  line  and  cut  off  the  heads  of  each.  "I  know  you," 
said  he.  "You  are  the  evil  servants  of  Lizard."  So  saying 
he  cast  them  in  a  fire  and  burned  them  to  ashes.  When  the 
heads  were  consumed  they  burst  with  a  loud  explosion  and 
out  flew  a  great  flock  of  screech-owls.  He  then  threw  the 
lizard  back  into  the  pool,  saying,  "I  despise  you  for  your 
lack  of  magic." 

Laughing  as  he  went,  Gajihsondis  followed  the  path 
until  he  came  to  a  clearing.  Though  he  greatly  wondered 
what  was  in  the  clearing,  for  he  heard  human  voices,  he 
could  not  proceed,  for  there,  hovering  over  the  path,  were 
many  white  owls,  screaming  at  him  and  swooping  down  to 
pluck  out  his  eyes. 

Gajihsondis  now  thought  of  a  plan  to  overcome  the  owls. 
It  seems  best  to  be  truthful,  he  thought,  and  so  he  deter- 
mined what  to  say.  So  he  called  out,  "I  claim  this  land. 
It  is  mine  and  I  shall  possess  it,  but  I  am  willing  to  make 
one  of  you  owls  chief  with  me."  The  owls  then  began  to 
quarrel  among  themselves  as  to  who  would  be  chief.  They 
made  a  great  noise  and  soon  had  clawed  each  other  to  death. 
None  remained  to  rule  with  Gajihsondis,  so  he  went  for- 
ward. As  he  proceeded  he  found  that  the  path  had  changed 
and  that  instead  of  entering  the  clearing  from  the  north  he 
was  entering  from  the  west.  Soon  he  paused  for  the  path 
was  guarded  by  powerful  panthers. 

Again  he  resolved  to  declare  his  intentions.  "I  claim 
this  land,"  he  cried.  "It  is  mine,  I  shall  possess  it,  but  am 
willing  to  make  one  of  you  panthers  chief  to  govern  with 


BOY  WHO  OVERCAME  ALL  MAGIC 


165 


me."  The  two  panthers  then  began  to  quarrel  and  soon 
were  engaged  in  murderous  combat.  In  a  few  moments 
both  were  dead.  Gajihsondis  then  went  on,  but  noticed 
that  the  path  had  changed  and  that  he  was  entering  the 
clearing  from  the  south. 

He  paused  as  he  was  about  to  enter  the  clearing  for 
there,  guarding  the  path  with  lowered  antlers,  were  two  elk. 
He  saluted  them  calling  out,  "This  is  my  land.  I  shall  pos- 
sess it,  but  I  shall  make  one  of  you  chief  to  help  me  govern." 
As  before,  the  creatures  fought  themselves  to  death,  each 
one  desiring  to  be  chief.  Gajihsondis  then  journeyed  on, 
finding  as  before  that  the  path  had  changed.  This  time  he 
approached  from  the  east. 

As  he  was  about  to  enter  the  clearing  two  enormous  ser- 
pents rose  up  and  hissed  at  him.  As  before  he  loudly  pro- 
claimed :  "I  claim  this  land.  It  is  mine  and  I  shall  possess 
it,  but  I  am  willing  to  make  one  of  you  rattlesnakes  chief 
with  me."  Then  did  the  great  serpents  begin  to  fight  and 
after  a  fierce  struggle  both  bit  one  another  and  both  died. 

Gajihsondis  strode  on  into  the  clearing  and  found  a 
great  lodge  within.  It  was  strongly  built  and  large  enough 
to  hold  a  great  company  of  people.  Entering  the  lodge,  he 
found  an  old  man  cooking  corn  mush.  The  old  man  said 
nothing  until  the  food  was  cooked  when  he  said,  "Come  eat ; 
it  is  ready."  The  two  finished  the  meal  for  Gajihsondis  was 
very  hungry  and  was  especially  fond  of  corn  pudding.  "We 
will  now  sleep  here,"  said  the  old  man  pointing  to  mats  on 
the  floor. 

Both  lay  down  on  the  mats  instead  of  upon  the  long 
shelf-like  beds  that  were  on  either  side  of  the  lodge.  As 
the  old  man  lay  down  with  all  his  clothing,  his  pouch  leaped 
from  him  and  went  to  a  peg  on  the  center  pole ;  his  leggings 
drew  from  him  and  rolled  up  in  a  corner;  his  moccasins 
leaped  to  a  bench,  and  his  breech-cloth  came  off  and  hung 
itself  over  a  pole.  Then  all  the  supper  dishes  leaped  about, 
the  pot  emptying  itself  and  then  jumping  to  the  upper  shelf 


166 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


of  the  lodge.  After  a  while  the  old  man  went  to  sleep,  and 
as  he  did  a  white  deer  emerged  from  his  breast,  leaped  into 
the  air  and  sailed  away  through  the  smoke  hole.  Gajihsondis 
watched  far  into  the  night.  He  could  not  sleep  for  the  uten- 
sils in  the  lodge  moved  about  and  talked  to  each  other. 

Gajihsondis  conceived  the  idea  of  robbing  the  house  of 
its  magical  objects  and  finally  decided  it  might  be  better  to 
escape  without  a  burden.  Carefully  he  crawled  out  from 
his  skin  coverings  and  made  haste  to  withdraw.  He  did 
this  with  entire  success,  and  ran  a  long  way  into  the  night. 
Soon,  however,  he  saw  a  white  deer  dart  down  from  the 
sky  and  enter  the  smoke-hole  of  the  lodge.  He  knew  then 
that  the  old  man  would  awake  and  pursue  him.  Nor  was 
he  mistaken,  for  soon  he  could  hear  the  old  man  running 
after  him.  On  and  on  he  came  until  when  just  behind 
Gajihsondis  he  waved  his  war  club  and  struck  the  boy  on 
the  head. 

"I  have  killed  another,"  shrieked  the  old  man,  as  he 
sawed  a  knick  in  his  war  club  with  his  flint  knife.  "No 
man  escapes  me." 

The  old  man  then  went  about  the  forest  and  restored 
all  the  animals  slain  or  dead  through  the  craft  of  Gajih- 
sondis. At  length  he  found  the  lizard  in  the  pool  and  told 
it  all  concerning  his  work  of  restoration.  "It  must  be  Gajih- 
sondis who  has  done  all  this,"  said  the  lizard  after  he  had 
been  restored  to  his  own  magical  power.  "Only  Gajihsondis 
could  have  slain  all  these  helpers.  I  greatly  fear  that  he  has 
acquired  sufficient  magic  to  slay  us  all." 

"But  I  have  slain  him  and  he  will  trouble  us  no  more," 
said  the  old  man. 

"Oh,  no,"  replied  the  lizard.  "Gajihsondis  will  revive. 
Then  let  us  beware." 

The  old  man  returned  to  his  lodge  and  passed  the  body 
of  Gajihsondis  and  to  his  great  satisfaction  saw  the  great 
crows  picking  at  it.  "He  is  dead,"  he  thought,  and  went 
straightway  to  sleep. 


BOY  WHO  OVERCAME  ALL  MAGIC 


167 


The  boy  soon  recovered  consciousness  and,  completely 
restored,  he  crept  into  the  old  man's  lodge.  "I  will  now 
be  truthful,"  he  thought.   "I  will  address  the  war  club." 

"War  club,"  he  commanded.  "Stand  up,"  and  the  club 
stood  erect.  "Now  war  club,  in  you  is  power.  I  want  you 
to  be  my  friend  and  assist  me  in  slaying  my  enemy.  I  am  a 
man  and  will  not  be  denied." 

The  war  club  then  pointed  to  a  bed  far  away  from  the 
door  and  Gajihsondis  went  to  the  bed  and  saw  a  pile  of  soft 
tanned  pelts.  Removing  these  he  saw  a  sleeping  maiden. 
He  took  a  brand  from  the  fire  and  held  it  over  the  girl.  "I 
have  now  come  for  you,'  he  said.  "I  am  going  to  rob  this 
house  and  take  you  with  me.  This  is  my  land  and  I  shall 
rule  it."  The  girl  looked  at  Gajihsondis  and  was  pleased. 
She  liked  the  looks  of  Gajihsondis.  'T  will  go,"  she  said, 
"but  first  you  must  slay  my  uncle.  It  is  because  he  fears 
you  will  find  me  that  we  are  all  bewitched." 

The  boy  then  went  over  to  the  old  man  and  awakened 
him.  His  clothing  flew  upon  him,  a  white  deer  entered  his 
body  and  then  he  sat  up.   "What  do  you  want  ?"  he  inquired. 

"I  want  to  fight  with  you,"  said  Gajihsondis. 
"Now  just  wait,"  said  the  old  man.  "I  must  get  my 
war  paint  ready."  So  saying  he  threw  charcoal  from  the 
fire  in  the  corn  mortar  and  made  a  black  paste.  Then  he 
took  red  paint  from  a  box.  He  applied  black  to  one  side 
of  his  face  and  red  to  the  other. 

"Now  I  am  ready,"  he  announced.  "Why  do  you  wish 
to  fight  me  ?" 

"I  want  all  your  things  and  I  am  going  to  take  your 
niece,"  said  the  boy. 

At  this  the  old  man  became  very  angry  and  whooped. 
He  then  sang  a  magic  song  and  grasped  his  war  club,  and 
rushed  upon  Gajihsondis.  The  young  man  grasped  his  war 
club  and  then  the  two  began  to  fight.  In  a  short  time  the 
old  man  was  overcome  and  exhausted.  Gajihsondis  bound 
up  the  old  man  and  put  him  in  his  carrying  frame.  Then 


168 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


he  took  the  girl  by  the  hand  and  led  her  away  to  his  own 
lodge. 

Reaching  his  grandfather's  lodge  he  noticed  for  the  first 
time  that  it  was  identical  with  the  one  in  which  he  had  had 
his  fight.  His  grandfather  and  the  old  man  looked  the  same. 
There  was  no  difference. 

When  the  old  man,  his  grandfather,  saw  that  Gajihsondis 
had  brought  home  the  old  man  bound  and  also  the  girl,  he 
was  very  angry  but  said  nothing.  He  made  up  his  mind  to 
kill  the  boy  and  to  marry  the  girl.  Now  when  the  boy  slept 
and  the  girl  had  crawled  into  her  robes  afar  from  the  door, 
the  old  man  grasped  his  war  club  and  sang  to  it.  Now  the 
prisoner  sat  up  and  did  likewise,  and  both  did  exactly  as  the 
other  did.  "I  will  kill  the  boy  now,"  said  the  old  man,  and 
so  saying,  he  shot  three  arrows  into  his  back. 

In  a  short  time  the  boy  awakened,  being  in  great  pain. 
He  arose  and  went  out  of  the  lodge.  Near  the  creek  he 
found  a  sweat  lodge  and  as  he  stood  near  it  a  voice  spoke : 
"Go  in,"  it  said.  "I  will  help  you."  He  looked  and  there 
saw  another  person  exactly  like  himself,  only  very  white 
and  clear.  "I  have  always  known  you  were  my  friend," 
said  Gajihsondis.   "But  this  time  I  see  you." 

Gajihsondis  went  into  the  lodge  and  took  a  sweat,  and 
when  the  arrows  had  come  out  he  took  an  emetic.  After  a 
while  he  saw  clearly  in  the  dark.  He  saw  his  friend  walk 
toward  him  and  enter  his  body.  The  two  became  one. 
"This  is  the  power  that  has  guided  me,"  he  thought.  "But 
I  will  never  tell  anyone  I  have  seen  him,  until  the  day  I  am 
about  to  die." 

Thereupon  he  returned  to  the  lodge  and  awoke  his 
grandfather.  "Come  and  fight  me,  grandfather,"  he  ex- 
claimed.  "I  believe  that  you  have  done  me  a  great  wrong." 

The  old  man  sprang  from  his  bed  and  as  he  did  so  the 
prisoner  became  as  a  mist  and  floated  into  him.  Then  the 
grandfather  grasped  his  war  club  but  it  was  no  longer  strong 
like  good  hickory,  but  soft  like  wet  rawhide.  He  could 
not  fight. 


BOY  WHO  OVERCAME  ALL  MAGIC 


169 


He  began  to  whimper.  "Oh,  my  grandson,"  he  moaned. 
"Do  not  kill  your  granfather.  My  strength  is  gone.  I  will 
confess.  I  have  been  a  great  wizard  and  have  created  many 
evil  monsters  and  slain  many  people  by  magic.  Now  I  am 
undone.  Oh  restore  my  nature  and  make  me  human  again. 
Do  not  kill  me." 

"Then  tell  me  everything,"  demanded  Gajihsondis,  and 
the  old  man  told  him  of  his  conjuring.  The  girl,  he  said, 
was  fore-ordained  as  Gajihsondis'  wife,  his  parents  were  in 
the  ground  back  of  the  lodge  in  the  clearing.  He  had  exer- 
cised his  magic  in  order  to  claim  the  girl.  He  and  the  old 
man  in  the  house  in  the  clearing  were  one  and  the  same  per- 
son, though  dual  by  magic.  The  path  was  well  trodden  be- 
cause he  had  traveled  over  it  so  many  times. 

"I  must  now  go  out  and  kill  all  the  monsters,"  said 
Gajihsondis.  He  did  so  and  killed  all  the  magically  evil 
creatures.  He  dug  up  the  ground  back  of  the  lodge  in  the 
clearing  and  there  found  a  bark  house  hidden  by  the  roots 
of  the  trees.  There  he  found  his  mother,  his  father  and  his 
sister.  All  were  very  happy  that  Gajihsondis  had  released 
them  and  together  they  made  their  journey  back  to  the 
grandfather's  lodge.  When  he  saw  them  returning  he  died 
and  turned  into  a  shriveled  human  skin.  This  Gajihsondis 
rolled  into  a  bundle  and  hid  it  in  the  rafters.  Then  he  called 
to  the  girl  and  she  came  out  of  the  blankets  from  the  bed 
at  the  far  side  of  the  lodge.  She  was  a  beautiful  young 
woman  and  dressed  in  fine  garments. 

"Who  is  this?"  askekd  Gajihsondis's  father  and  mother. 

"This  is  my  wife,"  he  replied.  "We  shall  all  live  in  a 
new  house." 

So  he  took  them  all  away  and  he  showed  them  a  new 
lodge  of  bark  he  had  built.  So  this  is  the  story  of  Gajih- 
sondis. 

GENERAL  NOTES — The  introductory  paragraph  of  this  legend  is 
not  a  part  of  the  story  but  is  the  answer  which  Cornplanter  gave  me 
in  response  to  my  inquiry  how  it  happened  that  so  many  stories  began 
with  a  recital  of  unnatural  conditions. 


170 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


There  are  interesting  allusions  in  this  tale,  and  many  of  them  are 
characteristic.  These  include  the  theme  of  the  orphaned  boy  living 
with  an  uncle  or  grandfather,  cruel  beatings  or  punishment  by  fire, 
living  in  the  ground,  the  boy  suddenly  becoming  self-confident  through 
the  reception  of  orenda  or  magical  power,  overcoming  all  obstacles 
and  destroying  the  source  of  evil  enchantment. 

There  are  other  elements,  which  while  characteristic  in  a  measure, 
are  so  striking  as  to  be  worthy  of  comment.  In  this  story  the  cycle 
of  four  attempts  emphasizes  the  importance  of  the  number  four  in 
Seneca  folk-thought.  Gajihsondis  kills  four  animals  in  his  attempts 
to  learn  to  become  a  hunter,  he  overcomes  four  beasts  at  the  spring, 
he  finds  four  paths,  each  in  one  of  the  prime  cardinal  directions,  he 
overcomes  four  magical  guards  of  the  trail.  When  he  finally  enters  the 
clearing  and  discovers  the  bark  lodge  he  discovers  a  new  obstacle. 

The  unusual  elements  now  follow.  These  are  the  discovery  that  the 
lodge  in  the  clearing  is  after  all  only  a  replica  of  the  one  in  which 
his  grandfather  and  he  had  lived  together  (although  the  story  does 
not  at  first  make  this  clear)  ;  the  strange  conception  of  clothing  flying 
from  the  body  of  the  wearer,  completely  undressing  him,  and  returning 
to  him  when  he  awakens;  the  idea  of  the  man's  name-genius  (the 
white  deer),  leaving  his  body  when  he  sleeps,  the  talking  war  club 
(which  seems  somewhat  symbolic),  and  finally  the  concept  of  a  double 
personality,  one  portion  or  unit  being  unseen.  Gajihsondis  had  a 
soul-self  which  materialized  and  guarded  his  life,  gave  him  informa- 
tion and  pointed  out  his  means  of  restoration.  The  grandfather  also 
had  a  double  in  the  person  of  the  evil  wizard  in  the  identical  lodge. 

This  legend  has  another  element  which  seems  quite  unique ;  it  is 
the  power  of  laughter  over  wizardry.  Gajihsondis  had  only  to  laugh 
at  a  monster  to  overcome  it,  though  he  did  not  always  do  this. 

I  cannot  help  but  feel  that  in  the  form  here  presented  this  tale  of 
the  occult  and  mysterious  is  only  a  portion  of  a  fuller  story,  the 
details  of  which  are  only  partially  developed  in  this  version.  This 
comment  may  apply  to  many  of  the  legends,  for  inquiry  about  certain 
points  always  brings  forth  additional  information  and  frequently  other 
episodes. 


TALES  OF  LOVE  AND  MARRIAGE 


MRS.  JOHN  BIG  KITTLE. 
Chief  matron  of  the  Cattaraugus  Seneca  Wolf  Clan.    Mrs.  Kittle 
was  born  on  Buffalo  Creek  Reservation  in  1822. 

Photo  by  E.  C.  Winnegar. 


VI. 


21.   TWO  FEATHERS  AND  TURKEY 
BROTHER 

Long  ago  a  whole  tribe  had  been  exterminated  by  power- 
ful sorcerers.  Of  all  the  tribe  only  three  persons  remained. 
These  were  an  old  uncle  and  his  two  nephews,  one  very 
young  and  the  other  on  the  borderline  of  manhood. 

The  older  boy  was  known  as  Two  Feathers 
(Doa'dane'ge11'),  and  the  younger  received  the  name 
Turkey  (Osoon),  because  he  wore  a  robe  made  of  a  turkey 
skin.  It  was  a  magic  skin  and  the  little  fellow  was  able  to 
fly  to  the  tops  of  trees,  which  gave  him  great  pleasure. 

There  came  a  time  when  the  uncle  after  watching  the 
older  nephew  for  some  days,  said,  "My  nephew  it  is  my 
opinion  that  you  should  prepare  yourself  for  your  manhood. 
It  is  customary  to  depart  from  your  abode  and  fast  until 
your  protecting  friends  appear  unto  you.  Go  forth  to  the 
river  and  build  a  sweat  lodge,  and  when  you  have  purified 
yourself,  await  the  coming  of  your  protectors." 

In  obedience  to  his  uncle's  directions  Two  Feathers  de- 
parted and  built  himself  a  sweat  lodge  where  he  purified 
himself  and  fasted.  On  the  tenth  day  he  saw  a  great  spider 
dropping  down  from  the  tops  of  the  trees,  and  it  spoke  to 
him  saying,  "When  you  are  in  great  distress  I  will  be  your 
protector."  Again  he  saw  a  great  black  snake  rising  from 
the  ground  and  when  it  had  reached  the  tops  of  the  trees  it 
spoke  saying,  "When  you  are  in  great  distress  and  need  a 
strong  friend,  I  will  be  your  protector." 

When  Two  Feathers  returned  to  his  uncle's  lodge  he 
was  a  man  and  he  knew  that  unseen  powers  were  his 
friends.  His  uncle  looked  at  him  carefully  and  said,  "My 
nephew,  it  is  my  opinion  that  you  have  become  a  man.  Now 
it  is  customary  for  a  man  to  seek  a  wife.    It  would  make 

173 


174 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


our  lodge  pleasant  to  have  a  young  woman  cook  for  us. 
Now,  far  away  from  here  in  a  country  to  the  east  is  a  great 
man  who  has  two  daughters.  It  is  my  wish  that  you  pre- 
pare for  the  journey  and  bring  back  a  wife.  It  will  take 
you  several  years, — how  many  I  do  not  know." 

Two  Feathers  prepared  for  his  journey  and  as  he  made 
his  weapons  his  uncle  watched  him.  "Come  here,"  said  the 
uncle.  "I  would  like  to  inspect  your  clothing."  So  saying 
he  looked  at  his  nephew  and  then  told  him  to  disrobe.  "You 
are  not  in  the  condition  to  make  a  woman  receive  you,"  he 
said.   "I  will  find  a  better  costume  for  you." 

Opening  his  treasure  chest,  which  he  kept  under  his  bed, 
the  old  man  took  out  a  fine  fur  robe  made  of  raccoon  skin. 
It  was  most  beautiful  and  the  fur  was  long  and  glossy. 
"Put  this  on,  my  nephew,"  he  said.  Two  Feathers  donned 
the  new  costume  and  advanced  for  inspection.  The  uncle 
looked  at  him  to  discern  any  imperfection.  This  robe  is 
not  good  enough,"  he  said.  "You  are  still  not  in  condition 
to  seek  your  wife.  Disrobe  and  I  will  seek  further  among 
my  treasures." 

The  uncle  now  drew  forth  a  robe  of  wildcat  skin.  It 
had  short  hair  and  was  made  so  that  it  hung  down  like  a 
long  shirt  with  many  tails.  There  were  ears  sewed  around 
the  neck  and  there  were  eyes  on  the  sleeves.  After  looking 
at  this  shirt  for  a  moment,  the  old  man  said,  "Now,  my 
nephew,  this  is  a  very  old  shirt  and  the  wearer  becomes 
very  powerful  in  magic.  It  has  eyes  and  ears  and  will 
guard  the  wearer  when  he  sleeps.  Put  it  on  and  let  me  see 
how  you  look." 

Two  Feathers  put  on  the  shirt  which  just  fitted  him.  It 
was  very  fine  and  he  greatly  admired  it  and  wished  to  keep 
it  as  his  shirt.  The  Uncle,  however,  surveyed  it  with  a 
critical  eye.  Finally  he  said,  "This  shirt  is  not  good  enough. 
You  are  still  in  no  condition  to  seek  a  wife  and  to  overcome 
all  the  obstacles  that  lie  in  your  trail  from  this  lodge  to 


TWO  FEATHERS  AND  TURKEY  BROTHER  175 

where  she  resides.  Disrobe,  I  must  find  something  differ- 
ent." 

This  time  Two  Feathers  disrobed  with  reluctance.  He 
wanted  to  keep  that  beautiful  shirt.  But  as  he  watched  his 
uncle  he  saw  that  another  fine  outfit  was  forthcoming.  At 
the  bottom  of  the  treasure  chest  was  a  bundle  done  up  in  a 
deer  skin  folded  into  a  case.  This  was  opened  and  the  uncle 
took  out  a  panther-skin  shirt,  a  pair  of  leggings,  a  pair  of 
moccasins,  a  bow  and  quiver,  a  fisher  skin  pocket  (pouch), 
a  warclub  and  a  pipe.  "Now  put  these  things  on,  my 
nephew,"  said  the  uncle. 

Two  Feathers  dressed  and  found  that  the  panther  shirt 
had  the  head  of  the  panther  as  a  cap  and  that  the  cap  had 
two  heron  feathers  above  it.  The  whole  costume  was  won- 
derful to  see  and  Two  Feathers  now  felt  that  there  could 
be  none  better  in  all  the  world. 

"Now,  my  nephew,"  said  the  uncle.  "I  will  show  you 
what  can  be  done  with  your  clothing  and  accoutrements. 
The  heron  feathers  on  your  hood  will  watch  out  for  you 
and  when  you  are  in  danger  they  will  speak.  Your  fisher 
skin  bag  is  alive  and  should  anyone  seek  to  harm  you  when 
asleep  it  will  bite  him.  Your  pipe  and  medicine  root  are  in 
the  bag.  The  medicine  will  give  you  power  to  spit  wampum. 
The  black  end  of  the  root  will  make  dark  wampum  and  the 
white  end  will  make  white  wampum.  Your  pipe  has  the 
head  of  a  bear  upon  it  and  it  will  growl  when  an  enemy 
touches  it,  while  the  snakes  on  the  bowl  will  hiss  when  you 
light  your  tobacco.  Your  bow  looks  old  and  useless,  but 
it  is  filled  with  powerful  magic  and  will  guide  your  arrows 
straight." 

The  uncle  continued  his  instructions.  "Now  as  you 
journey  from  here  you  will  find  three  enchanted  spots,  and 
all  must  be  avoided.  You  will  pass  a  certain  tree  where 
there  will  be  a  boy  playing  about.  He  will  ask  you  to  lift 
him  from  the  ground  and  place  him  in  the  long  branch 
where  he  would  like  to  swing  up  and  down.    Do  not  touch 


176 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  boy  for  a  sorcerer  lives  in  the  tree  and  when  you  lift 
up  the  boy  the  sorcerer  will  grasp  you  by  the  hair  and  tie 
you  to  his  arrow  and  shoot  you  far  away,  and  you  will  fall 
through  the  smoke  hole  of  a  witch's  lodge  and  will  be  eaten 
by  her.  She  is  the  sorcerer's  wife.  Further  along  the  trail 
is  a  deep  spring  where  there  is  sparkling  water.  Oh  nephew, 
do  not  drink  this  water  for  there  are  monsters  living  in  it 
who  will  draw  you  in  and  drown  you.  Further  along  and 
near  the  settlement  where  you  are  to  go  is  a  grove  of  very 
tall  trees.  Here  you  will  see  an  old  man  who  will  hop  around 
strangely.  He  will  ask  you  to  shoot  a  raccoon.  Oh  my 
nephew,  do  not  pay  any  attention  to  him.  He  will  be  the 
cause  of  your  ruin  if  you  heed  his  pleas." 

Two  Feathers  now  understood  how  to  proceed  and  was 
about  to  start  when  Turkey,  his  younger  brother,  began  to 
cry  that  he  also  wanted  to  go.  Neither  the  uncle  nor  Two 
Feathers  could  dissuade  him,  and  so  he,  too,  made  ready 
for  departure. 

Off  they  went  on  the  journey.  Turkey  flew  ahead  in 
short  flights  and  called  back  from  the  tree  tops  the  condi- 
tion of  the  trail,  for  it  was  very  early  in  the  morning  and 
it  was  still  quite  dark.  Very  rapidly  they  traveled,  until  by 
noon  they  had  traveled  a  distance  that  takes  ordinary  people 
three  years  to  go.  This  was  because  Turkey  flew  and  Two 
Feathers  wore  magic  moccasins  which  made  him  take  very 
long  strides.  They  now  saw  a  trail  lodge  and  sat  down  to 
rest.  Soon  they  espied  a  small  boy  playing  about  a  large 
oak.  As  he  played  he  came  nearer  in  a  friendly  manner 
and  asked  to  be  placed  in  the  long  branch  of  the  tree  that 
he  might  swing  up  and  down.  Two  Feathers  placed  the 
boy  on  a  stump  and  put  this  under  the  tree.  As  he  did  this 
there  was  a  great  roar  as  if  the  wind  were  moving  through 
the  forest,  and  two  gigantic  arms  came  down  and  grabbed 
the  stump,  at  the  same  time  fixing  it  to  the  tip  of  a  large 
arrow,  and  soon  the  stump  flew  through  the  air  and  into 
the  witch's  lodge  and  knocked  her  into  the  fire. 


TWO  FEATHERS  AND  TURKEY  BROTHER  177 

Two  Feathers  and  Turkey  now  went  on  their  journey 
and  in  a  short  time  came  to  a  clearing  where  there  was  a 
fine  spring  of  bubbling  water  continually  outflowing.  "Oh 
brother,  do  not  drink,"  said  Turkey.  "Remember  what  our 
uncle  told  us."  Two  Feathers  went  on,  but  being  very 
thirsty  turned  back  and  knelt  by  the  spring  to  drink.  As 
he  leaned  over  a  horrible  creature  leaped  from  the  water 
and  endeavored  to  pull  him  in.  Two  Feathers  gave  a  pull 
and  jumped  back,  throwing  the  monster  into  the  clearing. 
"Oh  put  me  back,"  it  cried.  Two  Feathers  asked  Turkey  to 
watch  it,  then  he  went  back  to  the  spring  to  drink,  but  as 
he  did  so  another  monster  covered  with  hair  leaped  at  him 
and  hung  onto  his  head.  Two  Feathers  pulled  again  and 
dragged  the  monster  out,  placing  it  in  the  care  of  Turkey. 
A  third  time  this  was  repeated,  after  which  both  boys  drank 
from  the  spring.  The  clearing  was  a  spot  where  had  once 
been  a  prosperous  village,  but  sorcerers  had  poisoned  the 
spring  and  killed  all  the  people  by  dragging  them  into  the 
depths  of  the  water. 

Two  Feathers  and  Turkey  made  a  fire  and  burned  the 
monsters,  and  their  heads  bursting  with  shrieks,  there  flew 
away  a  flock  of  screech-owls. 

The  journey  continued  until  it  was  near  sunset.  The 
boys  sat  down  again  and  soon  observed  that  they  were  in 
a  grove  of  very  tall  trees.  Presently  they  noticed  an  old 
man  dancing  about  and  shouting,  "Hai',  hai',  hai',  hai'."  In 
a  moment  he  approached  and  said,  "Oh  my  nephews,  there 
is  a  raccoon  on  that  branch  and  I  have  no  bow  or  arrow.  I 
wish  you  would  shoot  it  for  me." 

Two  Feathers  would  not  listen  to  Turkey,  who  flew 
about  gobbling,  in  order  to  draw  his  attention  to  the  warn- 
ing their  uncle  had  given. 

"Most  truly,  my  uncle,"  said  Two  Feathers.  "I  will 
shoot  that  raccoon  for  you.  It  is  a  very  easy  matter."  So 
saying,  he  took  out  an  arrow,  strung  his  bow  and  shot. 


178 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Hing,"  went  the  arrow  and  hit  the  raccoon,  piercing  its 
heart. 

Now  in  an  altogether  unexpected  way  the  raccoon  ran 
from  the  limb  to  the  trunk  of  the  tree  and  down  a  large 
hole  at  the  top  where  the  tree  was  broken  off. 

"Oh  my  nephew,"  cried  the  old  man  in  distress.  "I  am 
too  old  and  weak  from  lack  of  food  to  climb  after  the  rac- 
coon, which  has  gone  into  its  hole  to  die.  Oh  my  nephew, 
climb  after  it  for  me." 

"That  will  be  easy  uncle,"  said  Two  Feathers.  "I  will 
climb  now." 

"Oh  no,  no,  no !  Do  not  spoil  your  clothing  which  I  see 
is  very  nice.  Take  it  off  beneath  the  tree  and  I  will  watch 
it  for  you."  So  Two  Feathers  took  off  all  his  clothing  and 
climbed  the  tree. 

Up  he  went  like  a  squirrel  and  soon  was  at  the  top,  but 
as  he  stood  looking  down  into  the  hole  he  heard  a  noise 
behind  him  and  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  old  man  who 
shoved  him  into  the  hole.  Down  went  Two  Feathers  into 
the  hollow  of  the  tree,  and  down  into  a  pit  beneath  the  roots 
where  he  smelt  the  flesh  of  victims  and  felt  their  bones 
beneath  his  feet.  He  knew  that  he  had  been  trapped.  Out- 
side he  could  hear  Turkey  calling  with  a  gobbling  call,  and 
he  knew  that  something  evil  was  in  progress. 

The  old  man  descended  the  tree  by  a  route  known  to  him- 
self by  long  familiarity,  and  then  he  went  to  the  clothing 
which  Two  Feathers  had  left  behind.  "I  have  been  looking 
for  nephew's  clothing  for  I  expected  that  he  would  pass 
this  way.  Now  I  shall  be  able  to  cross  the  river  and  take 
the  great  man's  daughter  as  my  wife.  Now  I  shall  possess 
great  magical  power." 

Off  went  the  old  man,  looking  renewed  in  body  and 
becoming  more  and  more  handsome  with  every  step.  Soon 
he  reached  the  river  and  standing  upon  the  bank  he  gave 
a  loud  clear  call  that  could  be  heard  for  a  long  ways.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  river  was  a  long  house  and  the  voice 


TWO  FEATHERS  AND  TURKEY  BROTHER  179 

penetrated  it..  The  elder  of  two  sisters,  ran  out  and  taking 
her  canoe  paddled  it  across  the  stream. 

When  the  imposter  was  in  the  canoe  he  said,  "I  have 
come  a  long  ways  to  reach  this  place.  I  am  a  great  hunter 
and  am  looking  for  a  wife." 

"I  think  I  would  like  to  have  you  for  my  husband," 
said  the  girl.  "I  will  take  you  to  our  lodge  and  show  you 
where  we  live." 

When  the  imposter  came  to  the  lodge  he  met  the  chief, 
and  said  he  had  come  as  a  son-in-law.  "You  will  do,"  said 
the  Chief.   "Go  in  and  see  where  we  live." 

Going  into  the  lodge  the  Chief's  wife  gave  him  food 
and  then  the  young  woman  showed  him  her  bed.  It  was  a 
fine  bed  wtih  many  soft  robes  of  skin  and  a  curtain  made  of 
fox  skins  sewed  together.  "Here  is  where  you  will  lodge, 
as  my  husband,"  said  the  girl.  So  that  night  Imposter  ate 
wedding  bread  and  was  married. 

When  Two  Feathers  awoke  the  next  morning  he  was 
very  sick  and  could  scarcely  stand.  His  bed  had  been  a 
place  of  filth  and  terror.  His  head  felt  light  and  he  could 
see  lights  before  his  eyes.  He  began  to  think  how  he  might 
escape,  and  then  remembered  that  he  had  dreamed  of  the 
spider.  "Come,  my  friend  Spider,"  he  called,  "release  me, 
for  you  promised  to  be  my  protector." 

In  a  moment  a  great  spider  appeared  above  the  opening 
and  let  down  a  braided  strand  of  web.  Two  Feathers 
grasped  it  and  was  drawn  up  nearly  to  the  top,  when  the 
web  broke  and  he  fell  into  the  tree.  He  was  greatly  dis- 
appointed, but  determined  to  call  upon  the  black  snake. 
"Come,  my  friend  Black  Snake,"  he  called,  "release  me,  for 
you  promised  to  deliver  me  from  trouble."  In  another  mo- 
ment a  great  serpent  had  climbed  the  tree  and  let  down  its 
tail,  which  coiled  about  Two  Feathers  and  drew  him  forth. 
It  then  vanished. 

Turkey  was  happpy  to  see  his  brother  and  helped  him 
put  on  the  dirty  clothing  left  by  the  old  man.   Two  Feathers 


180 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


dressed  with  great  difficulty  and  when  he  had  put  on  the 
stiff  worn-out  moccasins  and  scabby  looking  cap,  he  looked 
like  a  very  old  man  who  was  very  sick.  Slowly  Turkey  and 
he  walked  down  the  trail  to  the  river.  At  length  they 
reached  the  bank,  and  Two  Feathers  called,  but  his  voice 
was  so  weak  it  could  not  be  heard.  It  was  like  a  whisper. 
Turkey  then  called  and  when  he  did  so  a  young  woman 
went  down  to  the  river  and  leaped  in  a  canoe.  Imposter 
saw  her.  "O  do  not  go  across,"  he  said.  "It  is  only  a  dirty 
old  man  with  a  turkey." 

The  young  woman  did  not  like  Imposter,  and  gave  him 
no  heed.  Across  the  river  she  went  and  took  Two  Feathers 
and  Turkey  in  her  canoe.  When  they  were  part  way  over 
the  river  Two  Feathers  said,  "I  have  come  a  long  ways  to 
this  place.  My  name  is  Two  Feathers  and  I  am  a  young 
man  seeking  a  wife." 

"It  is  apparent  that  you  are  an  old  man,"  said  the  girl. 
"I  am  the  only  girl  whom  you  can  marry,  but  how  can  you 
who  look  so  old  and  filthy  expect  to  secure  a  wife?" 

"I  met  with  trouble  as  I  approached  the  river,"  answered 
Two  Feathers.  "I  helped  an  old  man  who  wanted  me  to 
kill  a  raccoon  but  it  was  only  a  wizardly  creation  of  his  and 
he  required  that  I  should  take  off  my  clothing  and  climb 
after  it.  I  removed  my  clothing,  which  had  great  power, 
and  climbed  the  tree.  When  I  was  looking  into  the  hole 
he  pushed  me  in,  and  there  were  bones  beneath." 

"Alas,"  said  the  girl,  "I  am  of  the  opinion  that  my 
brothers  are  among  the  victims." 

When  they  landed  on  the  opposite  side,  the  girl  led  the 
lame  old  man  to  the  lodge  and  told  him  to  look  in.  "I  have 
brought  my  husband,"  said  she.  Thereupon  Imposter  spoke 
to  the  Chief  and  asked  if  he  would  allow  his  daughter  to 
marry  a  diseased  old  man.  The  Chief  looked  at  Two 
Feathers  and  answered,  "I  am  of  the  opinion  that  my 
daughter  knows  her  own  mind  in  this  matter." 

So  the  girl  took  Two  Feathers  into  the  lodge  and  showed 


TWO  FEATHERS  AND  TURKEY  BROTHER  181 

him  her  bed.  It  was  a  most  beautiful  bed  and  its  robes 
were  of  the  softest  doe  skin,  with  a  mattress  of  deer  hair 
beneath.  The  walls  and  top  were  covered  with  porcupine 
quill  embroidery  like  a  box,  and  the  curtain  was  of  martin 
skins  sewed  together,  and  the  apartment  had  sweet  herbs 
hung  within,  to  make  it  pleasant.  The  platform  over  the 
bed  was  arranged  as  a  sleeping  place  for  Turkey. 

At  supper  Two  Feathers  ate  marriage  bread,  but  no- 
body spoke  to  him  but  his  wife,  for  he  was  not  attractive 
in  appearance  and  added  nothing  to  the  strength  of  the 
lodge,  only  providing  another  mouth  to  feed,  when  famine 
was  almost  upon  them.  When  all  had  eaten  Imposter  took 
off  his  pouch  of  fisher  skin  and  said  that  he  would  now 
smoke.  He  placed  his  hand  in  the  mouth  to  reach  for 
the  pipe,  and  gave  a  wild  cry,  for  the  fisher  bit  his  wrist 
and  caused  him  great  pain.  In  dropping  the  bag  the  magic 
medicine  fell  out,  and  being  only  like  a  withered  root  it  was 
not  noticed,  so  Two  Feathers  grabbed  it  and  hid  it  in  his 
bosom. 

The  time  for  sleep  came  and  all  retired.  Imposter  would 
not  lay  off  his  garments,  much  to  the  disgust  of  his  wife. 
He  was  afraid  that  Two  Feathers  would  steal  them,  and  he 
knew  that  though  he  slept  Turkey  was  watching. 

Many  days  passed  and  Two  Feathers  looked  more  sick 
than  ever,  while  Imposter  grew  more  bold.  Yet  he  never 
went  on  a  hunt  for  he  had  no  bow  and  arrows ;  these  he  had 
failed  to  pick  up  from  Two  Feather's  outfit,  for  they  had 
looked  so  old  and  ill  made.  One  night  Two  Feathers  told 
his  wife  that  he  must  have  a  large  bowl  when  he  awoke, 
for  he  had  eaten  an  herb.  So  the  next  morning  he  called 
for  the  bark  bowl,  and  taking  it  opened  his  mouth  and  blew 
into  it,  filling  it  with  dark  wampum,  to  the  brim.  "Present 
this  to  your  father,"  said  Two  Feathers,  and  the  young 
woman  did  so  to  the  great  delight  of  the  old  man,  who 
said,  "Ah,  I  knew  that  he  was  a  great  man." 

Now  when  Imposter  saw  what  had  been  done  he  felt 


182 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


that  he  had  lost  favor,  so  he  asked  his  wife  for  a  bowl  and 
taking  an  emetic  filled  the  bowl  with  all  manner  of  foul 
lizards,  toads  and  worms  that  he  had  eaten.  Ordering  his 
wife  to  take  this  to  the  Chief,  he  strutted  about  proudly. 
When  the  Chief  saw  the  malodorous  mess  he  roared  in 
great  anger  and  drove  his  son-in-law  from  the  lodge. 

The  next  night  Two  Feathers  ate  of  the  root  again  and 
called  for  the  bowl.  This  time  he  filled  it  with  white  wam- 
pum to  the  delight  and  gratification  of  the  Chief,  who  again 
said,  "I  am  of  the  opinion  that  we  entertain  a  great  man." 
Imposter  tried  to  imitate  Two  Feathers  once  more  but  only 
produced  little  round  worms  that  so  fouled  the  bark  bowl 
that  the  Chief  ordered  the  wife  to  scrub  it  all  day  to 
clean  it. 

That  night  there  was  a  great  feast  and  Imposter  ate  so 
much  that  he  was  forced  to  remove  his  clothing,  and  he  was 
so  sleepy  that  he  threw  it  at  the  foot  of  the  bed  and  on  the 
floor.  Long  he  slept,  and  failed  to  awaken  in  the  morning. 
Two  Feathers  was  up  very  early  and  before  anyone  else. 
He  took  his  bow  and  magic  arrows  and  killed  a  great  quan- 
tity of  deer  which  he  dragged  to  the  lodge.  Then  he  took 
his  own  fine  clothing,  which  had  become  frayed  and  soiled 
and  put  it  on.  Immediately  it  became  bright  and  new.  Two 
Feathers  also  began  to  grow  more  and  more  youthful  until 
he  entirely  recovered.  His  wife  was  very  happy.  The 
Chief,  moreover,  was  glad  and  called  all  the  people  to  a 
council. 

Two  Feathers  was  the  central  figure  in  this  council  and 
exhibited  the  powers  of  his  costume.  He  pointed  his  pouch 
toward  a  woman  and  she  fell  down  dead ;  he  sprinkled  her 
with  medicine  and  she  rose  to  her  feet.  He  smoked  his 
pipe  and  the  bear  upon  it  blinked  its  eyes  and  opened  its 
mouth,  while  the  snakes  on  the  stem  wriggled  as  if  alive. 
The  eyes  of  the  panther  hood  glowed  and  the  feathers  spoke. 
Then  again  Two  Feathers  made  wampum.  Everybody  was 
satisfied,  most  of  all  the  Chief  and  his  daughter. 


TWO  FEATHERS  AND  TURKEY  BROTHER  183 

After  a  while  Imposter  awoke  and  found  his  wife  look- 
ing at  him  in  disgust.  "You  are  a  filthy  old  man,"  she  said. 
"I  will  have  no  more  to  do  with  you."  She  kicked  him  out 
of  bed  and  made  him  put  on  his  old  clothes.  "You  lied  to 
me,"  she  said  and  led  him  to  a  hole  where  the  women  cus- 
tomarily threw  their  garbage  and  thrust  him  in.  Then  she 
went  away  from  him  and  nobody  ever  saw  him  again. 

The  Chief  then  said  that  it  was  his  wish  that  all  the 
people  follow  Two  Feathers  back  to  his  home,  for  he  was 
a  great  man  and  had  slain  all  the  wizards  and  monsters  that 
infested  the  path.  So  they  went  and  it  took  them  a  good 
many  years  to  return.  Turkey  was  now  a  man  and  took  off 
his  turkey  clothes  and  dressed  like  a  warrior.  He,  too, 
found  a  good-looking  girl  and  married  her. 

After  a  long  time  the  people  all  came  to  the  uncle's  lodge 
and  he  was  a  very  old  man.  Two  Feathers  told  what  he 
had  done  and  the  uncle  was  happy.  He  now  had  women 
to  cook  for  him,  and  he  felt  that  the  world  was  rid  of  sor- 
cerers. Then  the  old  lodge  was  repaired  and  all  the  people 
dwelt  there,  and  if  you  can  find  it  you  will  find  the  people 
dwelling  there  to  this  day. 


22.     TWO  FEATHERS  AND  WOODCHUCK 
LEGGINGS.1 


Now  this  is  a  Two  Feathers  story.  All  the  old  people  of 
the  old  time  knew  about  this ;  and  it  happened  a  long  time 
ago. 

Do'ciowe"'  was  the  place  where  they  lived, — an  old 
uncle  and  his  nephew.  The  young  man  was  called  Two 
Feathers  and  the  uncle  was  known  by  name  as  Woodchuck 
Leggings. 

Two  Feathers  was  a  hunter  and  never  feared  to  hunt 
any  animal,  but  he  was  kind  to  the  animals  and  could  talk 
to  them,  so  they  became  his  friends.  He  had  a  pet  bear  in 
a  small  yard  and  he  had  a  wolf  that  he  had  tamed.  He  said 
that  it  was  the  same  as  a  man. 

Now  you  ought  to  know  that  he  had  fine  clothes.  They 
were  made  of  white  buckskin  and  embroidered  all  over  with 
porcupine  quills.  He  had  also  a  tobacco  pouch  made  of  a 
spotted  fawn's  skin  with  the  feet  and  head  on  and  in  this 
he  kept  a  pipe  having  a  bear's  head  carved  on  it,  and  eyes 
that  rolled  when  the  jaws  of  the  bear  chewed  the  tobacco 
inside.  He  had  a  gustoh'we'  (feathered  hat),  with  two 
feathers  in  front,  and  on  the  hat  there  were  two  chirping 
birds. 

Two  Feathers  acquired  magic  and  became  very  strong, 
but  he  did  not  let  anyone  know  that  he  was  Hotci'non'ga', 
(a  charm  holder). 

One  day  when  Two  Feathers  was  hunting  in  the  woods 
he  saw  an  old  bark  house.  Cautiously  approaching  it  he 
found  an  old  man  inside ;  though  at  first  he  thought  it  was 
a  wolf.  The  old  man  was  very  hungry  and  so  Two  Feath- 
ers gave  him  meat  to  eat.  "I  have  been  looking  for  you  a 
long  time,"  said  the  old  man.  "You  have  been  merciful  to 
me  and  I  am  going  to  give  you  my  arrow.   It  does  not  look 


l    Related  by  George  D.  Jimerson  (Tahadondeh),  1903. 

184 


TWO  FEATHERS 


185 


like  a  good  arrow,  but  most  truly  it  has  great  power."  So 
saying  he  drew  forth  from  a  bundle  in  which  he  kept  many 
kinds  of  war  charms,  an  arrow  and  handed  it  to  Two  Feath- 
ers. Two  Feathers  was  glad  and  leaving  the  old  man  some 
dried  meat,  departed. 

After  a  while  he  came  to  another  village  across  a  river 
where  he  slept  overnight.  He  noticed  two  girls,  one  older 
and  one  younger,  named  Drooping  Flower.  He  looked  at 
the  younger  girl  and  she  looked  at  him,  and  something  went 
out  of  his  eyes  into  her  eyes,  and  something  went  out  of 
her  eyes  into  his.  He  said  to  himself,  "That's  the  one." 
One  of  the  villagers  saw  this  and  told  Two  Feathers  that 
he  was  now  under  the  spell  of  a  very  evil  witch,  the  mother 
of  the  girl. 

After  a  time  Two  Feathers  saw  the  girl  again  and  said 
to  her,  "I  am  coming  for  you  by  and  by."  Then  he  went 
home  to  his  uncle  who  all  this  time  had  been  living  on  wood- 
chuck  meat,  because  he  was  an  unskillful  hunter.  The  old 
man  was  angry  at  Two  Feathers  for  his  long  absence,  and 
upbraided  him. 

After  a  time  a  runner  came  to  the  village  near  which 
Two  Feathers  and  his  uncle  dwelt.  He  called  the  people 
together  and  told  them  that  all  the  people  in  the  valley  across 
the  river  were  starving.  Hunters  had  been  unable  to  secure 
game  and  the  corn  harvest  had  failed. 

Now  Woodchuck  Leggings  thought  this  a  good  time  to 
find  a  wife,  who  weakened  with  famine,  he  could  overcome 
and  drag  back  to  his  lodge.  Two  Feathers  thought  about 
the  young  girl  whose  eyes'  light  had  gone  into  his  own.  He 
thus  prepared  to  take  the  trail  along  a  creek  having  rapids 
and  falls,  and  to  go  by  a  short  but  difficult  route.  Off  he 
went  in  great  haste,  taking  all  his  bundles  and  charms  with 
him.  Woodchuck  Leggings  noticed  this  and  was  angry  for 
he  had  resolved  to  steal  them  when  he  had  an  opportunity. 
He  now  resolved  to  follow  his  nephew  and  slay  him  if  he 
could. 


186 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


When  Two  Feathers  reached  the  valley  village  he  found 
the  people  starving.  Drooping  Flower  was  too  weak  to 
stand  up.  Two  Feathers  now  asked  all  the  women  who 
could  to  gather  about  their  doorways  and  play  the  plum- 
stone  game  and  to  sing: 

"Ganio  daweeni,  the  game  is  coming." 

He  then  went  into  the  woods  at  the  edge  of  the  clearing 
and  sang  a  magic  song,  at  the  same  time  taking  out  four 
arrows  which  had  lain  close  to  the  arrow  the  old  man  had 
given  him. 

One  by  one  he  shot  the  arrows  into  the  air,  each  in  a 
different  direction,  at  the  same  time  calling,  "Bring  me  meat 
from  different  animals." 

Returning  to  the  lodge  of  Drooping  Flower  he  sat  in  the 
doorway  and  waited.  Soon  high  overhead  he  heard  a  song. 
The  people  rushed  out  of  doors  and  listened,  and  sure 
enough,  there  was  a  song  in  the  air.  The  words  were :  "The 
wild  animals  are  coming."  In  a  moment  the  song  had 
reached  the  ground  and  four  animals  came  running  to  the 
doorway  where  Two  Feathers  sat  waiting.  Each  animal 
had  an  arrow  sticking  in  its  heart.  On  they  came  to  the  lodge 
and  then  dropped  dead  at  Two  Feathers'  feet.  There  was 
a  deer,  a  moose,  an  elk  and  a  bear. 

The  starving  village  then  had  food  and  Drooping  Flower 
recovered.  Then  a  council  was  called  and  all  the  people  sat 
around  to  see  Two  Feathers,  who  sat  in  the  middle  of  the 
hall  on  a  bench.  He  took  from  his  pouch  his  bear-bowled 
pipe  and  put  a  pinch  of  tobacco  into  it. 

"My  friends  and  cousins,"  he  said.  "I  must  have  an 
ember  for  my  pipe.  How  shall  I  get  it  ?  Ho  yo  ho !  Fly 
birds,  fly !"  As  he  spoke  the  chipping-birds  on  his  hat  began 
to  flutter  and  then  to  fly.  They  flew  to  the  fire  and  took 
coals  from  it  which  they  placed  in  his  pipe,  after  which  the 
birds  sat  on  his  hat.  Oh  the  fragrance  of  the  smoke  was 
pleasing,  and  the  bear  on  the  bowl  rolled  its  eyes  and  chewed 
the  tobacco.   "Oh  you  like  my  tobacco?"  asked  Two  Feath- 


TWO  FEATHERS 


187 


ers.  "So  does  my  pouch.  Dance  pouch,  dance !"  What  was 
happening?  The  spotted  pouch  detached  itself  from  his 
belt  and  scampered  over  the  floor  a  living  fawn.  Then  he 
called  it  back  to  its  strap. 

"It  is  now  getting  late,"  observed  Two  Feathers.  "Now 
bring  me  a  good  deer-skin,  well  tanned.  I  will  give  all  of 
you  good  presents."  Drooping  Flower  brought  a  skin  and 
placed  it  before  him.  He  began,  then,  to  make  a  noise  like 
"tsiit,  tsut,  tstit."  Opening  his  mouth  wide  he  blew  out  a 
great  stream  of  wampum  beads.  Immediately  there  was  a 
scramble  for  the  beads  and  nearly  everybody  grabbed  a 
handful. 

As  Two  Feathers  left  the  house  he  saw  the  jealous,  blaz- 
ing eyes  of  his  uncle,  Woodchuck  Leggings.  The  old  man 
had  never  dreamed  that  his  nephew  had  powers  like  these. 
He  then  began  to  spread  mischief  by  saying  that  Two  Feath- 
ers was  an  evil  sorcerer  and  that  he  would  soon  become 
Ohgwe  las  and  eat  up  everybody. 

Now  Drooping  Flower's  mother  was  a  witch  and  hated 
anybody  with  power.  So  she  called  Woodchuck  Leggings 
and  talked  to  him.  He  told  her  how  to  proceed  to  overcome 
Two  Feathers. 

That  night  Two  Feathers  and  Woodchuck  Leggings  slept 
on  one  side  of  the  witch's  lodge.  Midnight  came  and  the 
old  woman  began  to  have  a  bad  dream.  She  began  to 
throw  fire  upon  Two  Feathers  but  the  chipping-birds  chirped 
so  loudly  they  awakened  him,  and  he  saw  the  old  woman  on 
her  knees  at  the  fire  grunting,  as  if  in  a  dream,  "en",  en", 
en" !"  Leaping  up  he  hit  her  with  a  corn  pounder,  exclaim- 
ing, "What  is  it,  my  aunt?"  Pretending  to  awaken  she 
answered,  "It  is  now  finished.  .  I  have  had  a  dream  and 
must  be  satisfied.  Oh  I  must  have  the  antlers  of  two  large 
buck  elk  that  live  in  a  cold  lake.  I  must  have  them  by 
morning  or  direful  things  will  happen." 

Two  Feathers  immediately  set  out  to  satisfy  the  old 
woman's  dream  demand.    Now  no  one  had  ever  seen  these 


188 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


elk,  which  were  known  by  their  splashing  only,  and  all  per- 
sons who  went  into  the  lake  were  devoured  by  the  horned 
serpent.  Two  Feathers  jumped  into  the  water  saying,  "I 
know  that  I  can  do  this  thing."  Long  he  swam  into  the 
darkness,  for  there  was  no  starlight  or  moon.  After  a  time 
he  heard  splashing  and  a  noise  like  heavy  breathing.  Tak- 
ing his  arrow  from  an  oiled  skin  bag  he  spoke  to  it  and  then 
shot.  There  was  a  great  flash  of  light  in  the  sky  and  the 
mysterious  lake  elk  were  revealed.  The  arrow  had  pierced 
both  of  them.  Mounting  one  of  the  elks  he  ordered  them 
to  swim  ashore.  "What  do  you  want?"  they  asked  when 
they  stood  upon  the  homeward  beach.  "I  want  your  horns," 
he  answered.  "Oh  that  is  all  right,  nephew,"  they  said  and 
shed  their  antlers.  "I  am  sorry  I  had  to  kill  you,  but  the 
woman  desired  it  in  satisfaction  of  a  dream."  The  elks 
spoke  again,  "The  woman  has  deceived  you."  Then  they 
disappeared. 

The  gift  of  the  great  antlers  only  increased  the  old 
woman's  anger  and  the  next  night  she  dreamed  that  she 
must  have  the  pelts  of  the  wampum-coated  deer.  They  had 
no  hair  but  curled  shells  on  their  skins.  If  they  saw  anyone 
they  would  trample  them  to  death.  So  then,  Two  Feathers 
set  forth  to  catch  the  wampum  deer.  He  made  a  sweat 
house  by  the  lick  where  the  deer  came  in  the  night.  He 
threw  tobacco  all  around  it  and  then  waited.  Soon  two  does 
came  and  Two  Feathers  shot  his  magic  arrow,  killing  both. 
Then  he  lighted  his  pipe  and  began  to  sing.  Instantly  a 
great  drove  of  bucks  came  rushing  to  the  sweat  lodge  but 
they  could  not  touch  it,  so  powerful  was  the  magic  of  Two 
Feathers.  After  a  while  he  heard  them  stamping  away  and 
he  arose  and  went  out  and  skinned  the  deer. 

The  beautiful  pelts  covered  with  shells  only  made  the  old 
woman  more  angry,  as  Two  Feathers  presented  them  at 
daybreak.  She  screeched  and  scolded  and  called  him  an 
evil  sorcerer.  But  the  next  night  she  again  asked  satisfac- 
tion of  a  dream. 


TWO  FEATHERS 


189 


On  this  occasion  she  demanded  that  Two  Feathers  go 
to  a  hot  lake  and  bring  back  two  white  beavers,  reputed 
to  be  of  great  magical  potency.  "Oh  that  is  very  easy,  my 
aunt,"  answered  Two  Feathers,  "I  will  bring  them  at  day- 
light." Setting  forth  he  reached  the  lake  and  taking  out  his 
arrow  spoke  to  it.  "Speed  on  and  find  the  game  that  I 
desire,"  he  commanded. 

The  arrow  sped  forth  and  soon  it  struck  a  beaver  which 
came  swimming  toward  him,  bringing  another  with  it  on  a 
wave.  This  he  struck  with  a  small  white  stone  and  both 
were  dead.  Taking  them  to  the  old  woman's  lodge  he  threw 
them  at  her  feet.  "You  may  have  the  meat,"  he  said,  "but 
I  will  keep  the  skins."  This  made  the  old  woman  angry  for 
the  beavers  were  her  brothers.  So  then  again  she  dreamed 
and  commanded  him  to  satisfy  her  by  dangerous  tasks,  but 
his  magic  power  always  won.  At  length,  dispairing  of  caus- 
ing him  harm  in  this  manner,  the  mother  announced  that  her 
right  mind  had  returned.  She  resolved  upon  a  new  plan, 
and  became  very  kind  to  Two  Feathers.  When  Two  Feath- 
ers found  that  the  mother  was  no  longer  the  oracle  of  the 
spirits  he  started  home  where  he  might  provide  for  his  own 
father  and  mother. 

The  Do'ciowe11'  people  listened  with  great  sorrow  to 
Two  Feathers'  story  of  the  distressed  tribesmen  of  Ganun 
dasey  and  rejoiced  when  he  told  them  how  his  luck  had 
delivered  them.  But  he  was  restless  and  could  not  bear 
separation  from  Drooping  Flower,  thus  he  announced  that 
he  was  going  again  to  the  Valley  of  the  Pleasant  River  to 
get  a  wife. 

Woodchuck  Leggings  had  seen  Drooping  Flower  and 
he  wanted  her,  and  hearing  that  his  nephew  was  to  visit 
her,  resolved  to  accompany  him,  kill  him  on  the  journey, 
put  on  his  clothing,  gain  the  magic  articles,  and  then  steal 
Drooping  Flower.  The  mother  of  the  girl  had  given  Wood- 
chuck  Leggings  a  death  charm  and  he  made  up  his  mind  to 


190 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


use  it  upon  his  nephew.  Moreover  the  woman  asked  him 
to  do  so. 

"May  I  go  with  you?"  he  asked  Two  Feathers,  when  he 
saw  his  nephew  ready. 

"No,  Uncle,"  was  the  reply. 
"But  I  am  going  nevertheless !" 

"Then  not  with  me, — never!"  was  Two  Feather's 
answer. 

Two  Feathers  set  out  the  next  morning  and  when  he 
had  travelled  three  days  he  met  Woodchuck  Leggings,  who 
had  a  day's  start  on  the  journey.  He  saw  him  sitting  on 
a  stump  with  his  back  toward  the  trail. 

"Niawe"skano' !"  shouted  Two  Feathers. 

"Doge's !"  was  the  startled  reply. 

"How  came  you  here,  Uncle?" 

"I  am  on  my  journey." 

"Then  if  it  is  your  journey  you  must  not  expect  to  go 
with  me,  for  I  will  not  allow  it."  Two  Feathers  ran  on 
ahead  leaving  his  uncle  still  sitting  on  the  stump.  When 
night  came  he  set  up  camp  and  kindled  a  fire  for  cooking  a 
supper.  As  he  lay  down  for  sleeping  he  heard  the  night 
birds  scream  and  listening  he  heard  the  crackling  of  sticks. 
Lifting  his  bow,  he  prepared  for  the  enemy,  whatever  it 
might  be.  In  the  dim  light  of  the  dying  camp  fire,  he  saw 
the  shadow  of  a  ragged  old  man,  limping  along  the  trail. 
It  was  Woodchuck  Leggings. 

"Niawe"skano",  Uncle !"  said  Two  Feathers  in  greeting. 

"Doge's!  Agi !  dodtis'ha  a'kwa!"  (Truly,  O  give  me 
to  eat)  !"  gasped  the  hungry  uncle. 

Two  Feathers  spoke  to  his  arrows,  shot  into  the  tree 
tops  and  a  large  turkey  fell  to  the  ground  at  the  feet  of 
the  uncle,  who  was  too  frightened  to  move. 

"Pull  the  arrow  out  and  cook  the  bird,"  commanded  the 
nephew.  But  his  uncle  was  too  frightened,  for  the  arrow 
was  magic.  (Beyond  this,  it  was  not  right  to  touch  the 
arrows  of  another  hunter  when  they  were  sticking  in  dead 


TWO  FEATHERS 


191 


game.)  Woodchuck  Leggings  was  too  exhausted  to  prepare 
his  own  meal  and  fell  to  the  earth  from  weakness.  So  the 
faithful  and  unsuspicious  nephew  roasted  the  bird  and  shak- 
ing the  dozing  man  exclaimed,  "Sedekon!  (Come  eat)  !" 

So  he  devoured  the  bird  and  ate  his  fill  of  parched  corn 
and  maple  sugar.  He  begged  that  his  nephew  should  not 
turn  him  away  in  the  darkness,  for  he  was  afraid  of  the 
flying  heads.  He  pleaded  for  a  little  space  on  one  side  of 
the  fire  by  his  nephew's  side.  Two  Feathers  did  not  relish 
the  idea  but  pitied  the  old  coward,  and  gave  him  a  place 
in  which  to  sleep. 

The  crafty  old  scoundrel  watched  his  opportunity. 
When  Two  Feathers  was  fast  asleep,  he  made  his  way, 
stealthily  to  the  other  side  of  the  fire  and  drew  from  his 
shirt  a  long  sharp  point  of  hickory  bark.  It  was  the  death 
charm.  Two  Feathers  was  lying  on  his  side.  Kneeling  at 
his  back  he  lifted  the  bark  high  above  his  head  and  brought 
it  down  with  all  his  strength,  plunging  it  into  the  back  of 
his  victim  just  between  the  shoulders.  Removing  his  own 
dirty  garments.  Woodchuck  Leggings  replaced  them  with 
the  beautiful  white  clothes  of  Two  Feathers.  He  felt  for 
the  magic  pipe  and  pouch  and  found  both  safe,  but  he  had 
forgotten  the  magic  arrow  in  his  haste. 

In  the  morning  he  continued  his  journey  and  at  sunset 
came  to  the  village.  A  scout  noted  his  arrival  and  cried, 
"Here  comes  Two  Feathers !"  As  false  Two  Feathers 
passed  by  the  fires  between  the  lodges,  the  people  noticed 
with  wonder  that  the  beautiful  white  deer  skin  clothing  had 
become  soiled  and  torn.  The  tobacco  pouch  had  caught  in 
a  bush  and  half  the  quill-work  had  been  ripped  off. 

He  entered  Drooping  Flower's  lodge.  "Come,  we  can 
get  married  now,"  he  said. 

Drooping  Flower  did  not  need  to  look  at  him  a  second 
time.  "You  are  not  real  Two  Feathers,"  she  exclaimed. 
"Where  is  Two  Feathers  ?" 

"I  am  he!" 


192 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Sonohweh  !   You  are  a  liar!" 

"We  shall  see,"  answered  the  pretender. 

The  next  day  he  called  a  council  and  when  all  had  taken 
their  seats  he  strode  through  the  door  with  great  pomp  and 
took  his  position  on  the  singer's  bench.  Grasping  a  rattle 
he  began  to  sing,  but  his  voice  was  cracked.  He  stopped 
suddenly,  as  he  caught  the  gaze  of  the  men.  "I  have  a  cold, 
brothers,"  he  apologized.  "But  now  I  will  smoke,  and  the 
sweetness  of  my  tobacco  will  please  you ;  but  where  shall 
I  get  my  fire, — Ho,  ho !  Fly  little  birds !"  But  his  com- 
mands were  in  vain  and  he  was  compelled  to  get  his  own 
light.  "My  birds  are  bashful,"  he  explained.  He  lighted 
his  pipe  and  began  to  blow  the  smoke  into  the  air.  The  foul 
fumes  filled  the  lodge  and  nearly  stifled  the  people.  Women 
held  their  breaths  or  breathed  through  their  shawls ;  the 
men  coughed  and  the  babies  cried.  "My  tobacco  is  damp 
tonight,"  he  said,  "but  you  shall  see  my  pouch  dance  for 
me, — dance  pouch,  dance !"  The  pouch  clung  to  his  side 
limper  than  ever.  In  spite  of  his  commands  and  threats  it 
would  not  move  a  finger's  breadth.  "My  pouch,"  he  ex- 
plained, "is  bashful  and  now  as  I  am  tired,  if  Drooping 
Flower  will  bring  me  a  skin  I  will  speak  out  wampum. 
Drooping  Flower  refused  to  obey  and  whispered,  "He  is 
a  liar!"  Drooping  Flower's  older  sister,  Wiaso11',  took  pity 
on  the  unsuccessful  conjurer,  and  hoping  to  win  a  man,  took 
down  a  skin  from  the  wall  behind  her  and  placed  it  on  the 
singer's  bench. 

"Now  since  all  my  things  are  bashful,  I  will  pay  you  for 
the  trouble  in  coming  here,  see — I  blow  out  wampum  when 
I  breathe !"  Sure  enough,  from  his  mouth  flew  a  quantity 
of  small  white  cylinders.  The  people  bent  over  to  pick  up 
the  valued  wampum  beads,  but  were  again  disappointed,  for 
instead  of  wampum  were  clusters  of  loathly  worms.  With 
a  shamed  face  WiasoD'  returned  the  skin  to  the  peg  and 
the  council  was  dismissed  by  the  head  sachem. 

False  Two  Feathers  felt  that  he  must  do  something  to 


TWO  FEATHERS 


193 


redeem  himself,  so  going  to  the  woods  the  next  morning  he 
shot  all  his  arrows  and  called  for  game,  but  failing  to  get 
any,  in  desperation  clubbed  two  woodchucks  to  death  and 
brought  them  back.    No  one  would  touch  them. 

The  people  looked  at  him  as  one  who  had  lost  power  by 
displeasing  his  own  charms  and  paid  more  attention  to 
him.  No  one  would  now  associate  with  him  save  WTaso11' 
who  asked  him  to  marry  her,  and  he  did. 

Two  Feathers  awoke  after  several  days  unconsciousness 
and  found  a  great  herd  of  forest  animals  about  him. 

"Our  brother,  you  have  been  sick,"  said  the  wolf,  the 
spokesman.  "You  were  stabbed  by  Woodchuck  Leggings  as 
you  were  sleeping.  But  as  you  were  kind,  so  we  are  not 
ungrateful  and  our  blood  has  kept  you  nourished  while  you 
slept.  The  animal  spirits  are  crafty  and  know  their  friends 
and  foes.  You  are  about  to  undergo  misfortune  but  do 
not  faint, — keep  up  courage  and  listen  to  what  we  tell  you." 

Two  Feathers  was  weak  and  dizzy,  and  it  took  him  a 
long  time  to  reach  the  Valley  village.  Painfully  he  crept 
along  the  sunken  trail  until  he  reached  a  corn  field  where 
he  heard  women  singing  as  they  cut  the  blighted  corn  stalks. 
He  called,  and  Drooping  Flower  hearing  his  voice,  found 
him  wounded  and  exhausted.  She  stooped  down  and  he 
whispered  something  in  her  ear.  The  crowd  of  women  was 
now  about  him.  "Where  is  Woodchuck  Leggings?"  he 
inquired.  "You  are  Woodchuck  Leggings ;  don't  you  know 
yourself?"  cried  all  women.    Two  Feathers  said  no  more. 

For  nearly  a  year  Two  Feathers  lived  in  an  old  bark 
house  which  hardly  sheltered  him  from  the  snow  or  kept 
away  the  springtime  rain.  He  looked  like,  and  was,  a  sickly 
old  man.   Every  one  knew  him  by  his  cough  and  pitied  him. 

In  those  days  there  was  a  great  white  eagle,  a  magic 
bird.  The  people  of  the  village  had  erected  two  high  poles 
with  cross-pieces,  upon  which  the  eagle  was  wont  to  alight 
as  it  passed  over  the  settlement. 

The  mother  of  Drooping  Flower  worried  because  her 


194 


SEXECA   MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


daughter  would  not  take  a  husband  and  asked  her  why  she 
would  not  marry.  To  such  inquiries  the  girl  replied,  "I 
shall  never  marry  until  the  white  eagle  shall  be  shot.  The 
man  who  sends  an  arrow  through  him  shall  be  my  hus- 
band !"  These  words  pleased  the  mother  and  she  told  every- 
body about  it  and  gave  it  out  in  council. 

A  day  for  the  tournament  was  set  and  when  it  came  a 
hundred  young  men  from  the  entire  nation  gathered  on  the 
council  grounds,  eagerly  awaiting  the  signal.  The  great 
white  eagle,  with  whistling  wings,  flew  from  pole  to  pole, 
pausing  now  and  then  to  give  a  scream.  The  signal  was 
given,  and  a  hundred  arrows  struck  its  feathers,  broke,  and 
fell  to  the  earth  below.  Through  all  the  day  the  contesting 
warriors  shot  their  arrows  upon  the  magic  eagle,  but  he 
shook  them  off  like  snow  flakes  and  mocked  their  efforts  by 
his  screaming. 

Two  Feathers,  dressed  in  the  tattered  skins  of  Wood- 
chuck  Leggings,  watched  the  flight  of  arrows  from  his  door- 
way. The  young  men  laughed  at  him  and  asked  him  if  he 
were  going  to  try  his  skill,  but  to  no  one  would  he  reply. 
At  length  when  no  one  was  watching,  the  ugly,  lame,  cough- 
ing old  man  made  his  way  to  a  corner  of  the  council 
grounds.  He  had  no  bow,  but  in  his  hand  he  carried  an 
arrow.  Drooping  Flower's  mother  saw  him,  and  recognized 
who  he  was,  but  kept  her  secret.  She  looked  him  in  the 
eyes  and  contemptuously  exclaimed  "Chisna !"  While  she 
was  still  looking  this  despised  old  man  made  a  pantomine 
motion  as  if  grasping  a  bow,  pulled  his  arrow  and  let  fly. 
He  hobbled  back  to  his  lodge,  coughing  violently. 

There  was  a  great  shout  followed  by  an  excited  hum  of 
voices.  "It  was  my  arrow — no  mine — liars,  it  was  my  arrow 
— wrong,  I  know  my  arrow  by  the  painted  shaft — mine — 
mine — no  mine — my  arrow,  I  know  it  by  the  red  quill !"  The 
din  grew  louder  and  wilder.  Blows  were  exchanged  and 
some  struck  with  clubs.  The  older  men  rushed  out  and 
surrounded  the  excited  throng  and  said  they  would  shoot 


TWO  FEATHERS 


195 


them  with  their  arrows  and  commanded  the  riot  to  cease. 
When  quiet  had  been  restored  the  old  sachem  cried  out, 
"That  man  killed  the  bird  who  can  draw  the  arrow  out !" 

Man  after  man  tried  very  hard  but  all  failed.  False  Two 
Feathers  made  his  boast  and  kneeling,  prepared  to  pull  it. 
He  faltered ; — his  eyes  filled  with  water.  It  was  the  same 
arrow  that  had  killed  the  turkey  for  his  supper  on  the  night 
when  he  had  plunged  the  death  charm  into  Two  Feathers ! 
He  arose  and  went  to  his  house.  "The  eagle  is  shot,"  said 
he  to  his  wife.   "No  one  can  draw  the  arrow  out." 

There  was  a  great  discussion  and  every  one  was  asked 
for  his  opinion,  but  no  one  had  any  idea  who  the  marksman 
was,  save  the  mother  of  Drooping  Flower,  and  Woodchuck 
Leggings.  Then  a  stranger  who  had  not  hitherto  ventured 
to  speak,  stepped  upon  a  stump  and  shouted,  "You  have 
not  asked  the  old  man  with  a  cough !"  The  people  laughed 
at  the  stranger's  suggestion  and  watched  him  curiously  as 
he  ran  to  the  abode  of  Two  Feathers.  The  stranger  grasped 
Two  Feathers  by  the  hand,  by  both  hands,  and  whispered 
in  his  ear.  The  stranger  was  the  wolf  whom  he  had  be- 
friended in  the  lonely  cabin. 

Two  Feathers  limped  to  the  slain  bird  and  all  the  people 
shouted  "Hoa'ho" !  Old-Bones-with-a-cough  is  going  to 
try,  yo-a-hoh !" 

"Old  Bones-with-a-cough"  touched  the  arrow,  it  clung 
to  his  finger  and  followed  his  hand  into  the  air.  All  the 
people  shouted  " Whoei' !" 

The  sachem  took  his  stand  and  proclaimed  Drooping 
Flower  the  wife  of  the  old  man  with  a  cough,  and  the 
mother  frowned  as  she  was  compelled  to  say,  "Nio' !" 

"A  medicine  man  quick !"  shouted  Two  Feathers.  "Give 
me  him  whom  you  call  fallen  Two  Feathers !" 

Woodchuck  Leggings  hurried  forward,  ever  ready  to  be 
where  there  was  a  chance  of  being  looked  at. 

"Build  a  sweat  lodge  of  fat  bear  skins,  bring  large  lumps 


196 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


of  fat  and  them  heat  fire-stones  and  bring  them  in,"  directed 
Two  Feathers. 

Woodchuck  Leggings  built  a  little  dome-shaped  lodge 
by  sticking  the  ends  of  flexible  poles  into  the  ground  and 
bending  them  over,  and  after  a  hunter  had  skinned  a  fat 
bear,  he  covered  the  lodge  frame  with  the  skin,  hair-side  out. 
When  the  hot  stones  were  brought  in  they  heated  the  interior 
to  such  a  degree  that  the  fat  on  the  skins  melted  and  ran 
down  in  streams.  After  Two  Feathers'  body  was  drenched 
with  the  oil,  he  asked  that  his  "doctor"  rub  him  until  it  had 
been  well  absorbed  by  the  skin.  He  then  requested  the 
famous  "medicine  man"  to  pack  a  lump  of  fat  between  his 
shoulders,  cover  it  with  a  small  skin  and  place  a  hot  stone 
over  it.  A  cold  one  was  selected.  "Hotter,  Uncle !"  said 
Two  Feathers,  for  the  first  time  calling  him  by  this  name. 
The  second  stone  was  only  slightly  warmer,  "Hotter  yet, 
Uncle !"  Another  stone  was  placed  on  the  skin  but  Two 
Feathers  still  shouted,  "Hotter  yet,  Uncle."  The  next  stone 
was  dull  red  and  Woodchuck  Leggings  slapped  it  on  with 
a  thud.  "Dogen's  wi'  o !"  shouted  Two  Feathers  and  putting 
his  hands  to  the  back  of  his  neck  he  threw  off  the  poultice. 
He  grasped  the  bark  which  had  worked  partly  out.  He  gave 
it  a  hard  pull.  Woodchuck  Leggings  grew  suspicious  and 
began  to  tremble  with  fear.  With  a  loud  cry  Two  Feathers 
pulled  the  bark  point  from  his  neck  and  before  the  cringing 
man  before  him  had  time  to  utter  a  sound,  Two  Feathers 
struck  him  a  heavy  blow  over  the  neck.  The  death  charm 
sank  into  the  flesh,  passed  between  the  bones  in  his  back 
and  Woodchuck  Leggings  lay  dead. 

"The  sick  one  has  recovered !"  shouted  Two  Feathers. 
"Every  one  go  away  while  I  dress."  The  wondering  throng 
which  had  sat  chanting  about  the  lodge  during  the  ceremony, 
went  to  their  lodges,  curious  to  know  what  had  happened, 
for  the  voice  which  they  had  heard  commanding  them  was 
one  which  in  itself  compelled  obedience  and  awe,  and  seemed 


TWO  FEATHERS 


197 


to  come  from  neither  of  the  men  whom  they  had  seen  enter 
the  lodge. 

Two  Feathers  washed  his  body  in  ashes,  put  on  his  old 
suit  which  Woodchuck  Leggings  had  ruined,  but  which  was 
restored  as  it  touched  his  body,  and  ran  out  into  the  council 
grounds.  The  people  looked  at  him  in  astonishment.  Who 
could  it  be  ?  The  handsome  man  seemed  like  someone  whom 
they  had  known  before,  and  yet  no  one  ventured  to  say 
who  it  was. 

"I  shall  call  a  council  for  tonight ;  I  bring  news !" 
shouted  Two  Feathers. 

Two  Feathers  took  the  speaker's  seat  and  addressed  the 
people.  "Brothers !  I  am  Two  Feathers,  the  same  who 
once  delivered  you  from  the  famine,  by  the  power  of  my 
charms,  I  delivered  you  from  the  two  grim  sisters  that 
breathed  into  your  faces  and  almost  stopped  your  breath. 
So  soon  have  you  forgotten  me,  but  remember,  I  am  not 
blaming  you,  for  I  know  the  reason,  and  you  are  not  to  be 
blamed." 

"Brothers !  I  was  stricken  in  the  forest  by  the  treach- 
ery of  Woodchuck  Leggings,  who  thought  that  by  taking 
my  life  he  could  take  my  power,  but  he  was  mistaken,  for 
he  has  taken  neither.  For  a  long  time  I  have  suffered, 
alone,  neglected  and  despised  by  all  the  people,  but  now 
that  I  have  recovered,  he  who  designed  my  misfortune  him- 
self has  met  it.    I  have  killed  him  with  his  own  charm." 

The  gestures  of  Two  Feathers,  his  face  and  his  voice 
thrilled  the  people  and  with  one  accord  they  shouted, 
"Nio"!" 

"Now  friends  and  brothers,  let  us  rejoice  in  my  restored 
life  and  power.  See,  I  smoke !  Fly  birds,  fly  and  bring  me 
a  light."  The  birds  flew  from  his  hat  with  chirps  of  joy. 
They  fluttered  up  and  down  and  flew  through  the  council 
house  from  end  to  end.  They  went  into  the  fire,  pulled 
out  a  brand  and  placed  it  in  his  pipe.  They  brushed  against 
his  face  again  and  again  singing.    Two  Feathers  caught 


198 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


them  in  his  hands  and  placed  them  back  on  his  feather  cap. 
He  spoke  to  his  pouch,  "Dance,  pouch,  dance, — be  my 
spotted  fawn."  The  pouch  leaped  from  his  side  and  danced 
better  than  it  had  before.  It  danced  in  a  circle  around  him 
as  he  stood  on  the  floor,  it  jumped  over  his  head,  rolled  and 
tumbled,  rubbed  against  his  legs,  leaped  and  gave  every  sign 
of  life.  "Enough!"  exclaimed  Two  Feathers,  and  reluctant- 
ly it  ran  back  to  his  belt,  nothing  but  a  limp  skin  pouch. 
"Now  brothers,  bring  a  skin."  Someone  brought  him  the 
pelt  which  Woodchuck  Leggins  had  used.  "What,  spoiled 
by  worms?  See,  I  smoke."  A  puff  of  smoke  purified  the 
skin.  "See,  I  breathe.  Now  look."  Wampum  dropped 
from  the  frost  of  his  breath  and  piled  up  in  a  heap  on  the 
skin. 

The  sachems  and  head  men  now  began  to  speak.  Never 
did  a  man  receive  a  better  welcome.  The  people  were 
glad,  the  women  sang  a  welcome  song  and  then  all  rushed 
to  put  friendly  hands  on  him, — all  but  two.  These  slunk 
from  the  room,  one  with  eyes  briming  with  angry  tears  and 
the  other  with  a  face  drawn  into  a  horrible  frown.  This 
one  ground  her  teeth  in  rage,  she  ran  her  claw  fingers  down 
her  cheeks  until  the  blood  flowed  in  streams.  She  tore  her 
hair,  and  with  shrieks  ran  into  the  darkness. 

The  council  was  over  and  there  was  a  commotion  in  the 
lodge  of  Drooping  Flower.  The  mother  lay  on  her  couch 
screeching  as  she  tore  her  clothing  into  shreds,  chewed  the 
flesh  from  her  fingers  and  bit  them  off  at  the  joints.  Then 
she  suddenly  sprang  up  and  shook  her  hands  before  her 
face.  The  sinews  dangled  over  the  white  bones  and  blood 
spurted  from  the  meat.  Suddenly  the  lodge  became  dark- 
ened,— a  rush  of  air  was  felt  and  a  yelp  was  heard,  like 
that  of  a  dog  pierced  with  an  arrow.  When  a  torch  was 
lighted  the  mother  had  gone.  She  could  not  be  found 
though  the  people  searched  in  forest  and  in  open.  Only 
tracks  of  a  big  dog  could  be  seen  leading  from  the  lodge. 
They  were  traced  to  a  pond  which  had  neither  inlet  nor  out- 


TWO  FEATHERS 


199 


let,  and  there  they  stopped.  It  was  found  out  she  had  been 
a  witch. 

GENERAL.  NOTES. — The  story  of  Two  Feathers  and  his  jealous 
uncle,  Woodchuck  Leggings  is  one  of  the  favorite  tales  of  the  Seneca. 
It  is  related  in  several  forms  but  always  has  the  same  general  plot. 
The  version  here  given  was  secured  during  the  summer  of  1903  during 
my  stay  on  the  Silverheels'  farm,  and  was  related  by  George  D.  Jimer- 
son,  comments  being  made  by  Fred  Kennedy,  a  half-blood,  and  Peter 
Snyder.  As  auditors  who  nodded  their  approval  we  had  Gahweh 
Seneca  and  Fred  Pierce. 

As  here  recorded  this  bit  of  Seneca  fiction  is  an  example  of  a  folk 
tale  taken  down  in  note  form  and  rewritten  in  the  language  of  the 
transcriber.  It  is  not  an  exact  translation  by  any  means.  It  does 
give,  however,  all  the  essential  ideas  conveyed  by  the  narators.  The 
plot  is  followed  exactly  in  all  the  peculiar  turns  and  in  some  cases 
we  have  used  the  same  expressions  of  the  story  tellers  who  gave 
the  tale. 

The  plot  is  a  love  theme  in  which  a  hero  is  thwarted  by  a  jealous 
uncle.  Magic  plays  its  usual  part  but  magic  is  employed  by  the  hero 
to  bring  about  his  own  recovery  in  due  time.  The  heroine's  mother 
turns  out  to  be  in  league  with  the  villain,  and  after  the  villain's 
exposure  the  hero  is  compelled  to  perform  certain  tasks  thought  to 
be  impossible.  He  succeeds  and  the  evil  woman  stands  revealed  an 
odious  witch. 

When  I  had  written  out  this  tale  substantially  as  here  presented  I 
read  it  to  Edward  Cornplanter.  He  criticized  it  by  saying  that  I  had 
received  it  from  Christian  Indians  who  had  given  locations  not  in  the 
original  tale  and  that  my  informants  had  tried  to  explain  too  much. 
"It  is  all  right,  though,"  he  said.  "I  do  not  object  at  all  because  white 
folks  will  understand  it  better  the  way  you  have  it.  Only  one  big 
mistake  you  have  made.  Now,  when  Two  Feathers  went  away  from 
that  big  bark  house  where  the  girl  lived  he  made  up  his  mind  to  take 
the  girl  with  him  to  his  own  village.  So,  he  grabbed  her  and  jumped 
up  through  the  smoke  hole.  He  had  his  snow-shoes  hidden  on  the 
roof.  He  put  on  his  snow-shoes,  grabbed  the  girl  around  the  waist 
and  then  slid  down  the  slippery  roof.  He  was  magic  and  sailed  away 
right  in  the  air  for  a  mile  and  then  came  down  on  the  snow  as  nice 
as  you  please.    It  was  great  to  see  it. 

"Now,  soon,  Woodchuck  Leggings  missed  the  girl.  All  the  time  he 
still  wants  her,  which  makes  his  own  woman  mad.  So  Woodchuck 
Leggings  tried  to  jump  up  through  the  roof  hole  but  fell  back  in 
the  fire  and  burned  himself.  So  he  climbed  up  on  the  roof  with  his 
snowshoes  to  sail  away  after  Two  Feathers.  He  started  down  the 
slippery,  icy  roof  and  went  fine, — until  he  came  to  the  edge  of  the 
roof.  Then  he  fell  head  first  in  a  big  drift  and  the  only  thing  anyone 
could  see  was  a  pair  of  snowshoes  on  the  level  with  the  top  of  the 
drift.  This  made  the  whole  village  laugh  with  a  big  roar.  His  wife 
was  madder  than  ever  for  she  had  to  dig  him  out,  and  I  hate  to  tell 
you  what  she  did  to  him  when  she  got  him  alone.  This  is  the  best 
of  the  story." 


23.  HOW  TURKEY  BOY  SQUEEZED  THE  HEARTS 
OF  A  SORCERER  AND  HIS  SEVEN  SISTERS. 


There  was  an  old  woman  who  lived  with  her  grandson, 
Osoon  (Turkey),  in  a  lonely  lodge  a  long  ways  from  a 
settlement.  The  lodge  was  old  and  very  large,  but  only 
the  two  lived  in  it,  for  all  others  had  been  killed  by  sorcer- 
ers. 

Winter  was  coming  on  and  the  old  woman  was  busily 
engaged  each  day  in  gathering  firewood  for  the  winter's 
store.  Every  day  she  would  cry  as  she  started  on  her 
journey  and  when  she  returned  she  would  cry  again,  for 
she  was  old  and  weak. 

After  a  time  the  boy,  Turkey,  asked  his  grandmother 
why  she  wept  continually.  "Oh  my  grandson,"  she  an- 
swered, "all  our  people  are  dead  and  I  am  getting  old.  I 
have  a  hard  time  getting  roots  and  bark  for  winter  food 
and  gathering  wood  makes  me  very  tired." 

Then  she  took  Turkey  to  the  end  of  the  long  house  and 
pushed  aside  a  piece  of  bark.  Beyond  was  another  room 
which  Turkey  had  never  seen  before.  As  they  entered  it 
Turkey  saw  that  it  was  filled  with  all  kinds  of  clothing  and 
weapons  and  many  strange  things.  "This  is  where  I  have 
placed  all  the  things  that  belonged  to  our  family  when  it 
lived  here,"  said  the  grandmother.  "I  will  show  you  this 
place  but  you  must  never  enter  it  or  touch  anything." 

The  next  day  when  the  grandmother  left  the  lodge  to 
gather  wood  Turkey  pushed  aside  the  bark  and  entered  the 
room.  It  was  dark  but  after  a  time  he  could  see.  He  found 
a  large  drum  which  pleased  him  very  much.  He  fell  to 
beating  it  and  it  made  a  sound  that  he  thought  delightful. 
Then  he  went  out  and  closed  the  bark  over  the  opening. 

When  the  grandmother  returned  with  her  load  of  wood 
she  wept  again.  "Why  do  you  always  weep?"  asked  Tur- 
key.   And  she  replied,  "All  of  our  people  are  dead.  They 

200 


TURKEY  BOY  SQUEEZES  HEARTS 


201 


have  been  destroyed  by  a  monster  wizard  who  eats  human 
flesh.  His  lodge  is  to  the  east  and  near  it  is  a  great  bed 
of  strawberries.  Oh,  they  are  as  large  as  hearts.  Once 
there  was  a  good  village  of  our  tribe  there,  but  the  people 
were  killed  and  the  houses  have  now  fallen  down."  Then 
she  fell  into  a  fit  of  weeping  again. 

Turkey  now  said,  "My  grandmother,  now  is  the  time  for 
me  to  go.   I  shall  shortly  go." 

The  next  day  when  the  grandmother  was  away,  Turkey 
entered  the  forbidden  room  and  found  a  net  bat  and  a  ball. 
He  removed  them  and  went  out  and  played  ball  (lacrosse). 
Then  he  returned  and  found  the  drum,  which  he  beat  with 
great  vigor.  So  loudly  did  he  beat  it  that  his  grandmother 
heard  it  and  returned  in  great  fright.  "Do  you  want  the 
monster  to  find  out  where  we  live  and  come  here  and  eat 
us  ?"  she  scolded,  but  Turkey  only  repplied.  "Oh  my  grand- 
mother, don't  scold  me.   Tell  me  more  about  the  monster." 

"His  name  is  Deadoehdjadase11,"  replied  the  grandmother, 
"and  he  has  seven  sisters  who  wait  upon  him.  Oh  never 
go  east." 

"Make  me  some  moccasins,"  commanded  the  boy.  "I 
am  going  east." 

Still  forbidding  him  to  go,  the  grandmother,  neverthe- 
less, made  the  moccasins.  In  a  short  time  he  was  ready 
to  start. 

Now  Turkey  was  cautious  and  crept  along  through  the 
underbrush  until  he  came  to  a  clearing  where  he  saw  a  dried 
human  skin  fastened  by  a  cord  to  a  tall  pole.  It  swung 
around  in  the  wind  and  watched  the  clearing.  Turkey 
noticed  that  there  was  a  large  strawberry  patch  there  with 
berries  as  big  as  hearts.  He  was  very  crafty  and  knew  that 
he  could  not  approach  the  Hadjoqda  (dried  skin),  without 
being  seen  and  reported  to  its  masters.  Looking  about  he 
saw  a  mole  and  made  a  bargain  with  it  to  borrow  its  coat. 
Shrinking  himself  by  magic  he  entered  the  mole  skin  and 
then  burrowed  underground  until  he  was  directly  under  the 


202 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


skin,  when  he  broke  a  little  root  into  beads  and  stained 
them  with  berry  juice.  He  called  to  the  skin  and  offered 
to  give  it  wampum  if  it  would  talk  for  a  while.  This  the 
skin  agreed  to  do,  and  told  him  all  the  mysteries  of  the 
clearing.  Turkey  learned  that  the  master  sorcerer  was 
Deadoehdjadse",  and  that  the  seven  sisters  cooked  human 
flesh  for  him,  grinding  it  in  a  corn  mortar  with  white  corn 
meal.  Only  this  would  he  eat.  When  the  sisters  were  not 
cooking  they  guarded  the  strawberries  from  the  deer  that 
came  into  the  clearing  to  graze. 

"What  more  should  I  learn  to  be  safe?"  asked  Turkey. 

"What  will  you  give  to  know?"  replied  Skin  Man. 

"I  will  rub  my  hands  on  you  and  make  you  free," 
answered  Turkey. 

Then  he  learned  that  the  lives  of  the  sorcerer  and  his 
sister  were  secure,  for  they  could  not  be  killed,  their  hearts 
being  concealed  under  the  wing  of  a  loon  that  swam  in  a 
pool  under  a  bed  in  the  lodge.  A  dog  guarded  the  hearts 
and  they  could  only  be  surrendered  upon  order  of 
Deadoehdjadse",  himself. 

Meanwhile  the  sisters  had  been  calling  the  skin,  and 
louder  and  louder  did  they  call.  Turkey  said,  "Tell  them 
that  you  have  been  making  wampum  for  them,  and  that 
Deadoehdjadse11  is  about  to  return  spitting  blood.  Then  I 
will  stir  up  the  deer  and  enter  the  lodge.  Then  you  will 
report  the  deer  and  the  sisters  will  rush  out  to  save  their 
strawberries.  I  will  find  their  hearts  and  kill  them.  Then 
I  will  make  you  free." 

Hadjoqda,  the  skin  man,  returned  to  the  lodge,  saying 
that  he  had  been  making  wampum,  and  was  delayed.  He 
said  moreover  that  he  saw  their  brother  returning,  being 
sick.  The  youngest  sister  was  suspicious  of  the  wampum, 
but  it  appeared  to  be  good,  and  the  sisters  divided  it.  Skin 
Man  then  returned  to  his  station. 

In  a  short  time  Turkey  had  gone  back  to  the  mole  and 
returned  its  coat  with  a  gift  in  payment.    Then  he  used 


TURKEY  BOY  SQUEEZES  HEARTS 


203 


magic  to  make  himself  appear  exactly  like  Deadoendjadse", 
and  strode  boldly  into  the  clearing,  chewing  a  strawberry 
and  spitting  the  juice.  This  gave  him  great  power.  He 
drew  near  the  lodge  and  called  for  food,  but  one  sister  was 
suspicious  and  offered  him  corn,  then  meat,  then  fish,  but 
Turkey  refused  them  all  and  roared  that  he  was  Ongwe  las 
and  wanted  his  accustomed  dinner.  This  they  put  before 
him  and  he  ate  it  all,  satisfying  the  women  that  he  was 
indeed  their  brother. 

Suddenly  Skin  Man  began  to  call  and  the  women  all  ran 
out  .of  the  lodge,  for  Skin  Man  was  crying  that  the  deer 
were  in  the  strawberries. 

When  the  sisters  were  out  of  sight,  Turkey  noticed  a 
small  dog  watching  one  of  the  beds.  He  threw  a  piece  of 
meat  to  the  dog  and  then  lifted  up  the  bed.  Beneath  was 
a  pool  of  water  and  a  loon  swimming  about.  "Give  me  the 
hearts,"  commanded  Turkey.  The  loon  lifted  up  a  wing  but 
there  were  no  hearts  under  it.  "You  give  me  those  hearts!" 
commanded  Turkey,  once  more..  This  time  the  loon  lifted 
its  right  wing  and  beneath  were  the  eight  hearts.  Turkey 
grabbed  them  and  ran  out  crying,  "I  am  Turkey,  and  I've 
got  your  hearts." 

When  the  sisters  saw  Turkey  with  the  hearts  they  began 
to  chase  him  with  the  clubs  which  they  used  on  the  deer, 
but  as  each  assailant  approached  Turkey  squeezed  her  heart, 
causing  her  to  faint.  One  by  one  he  squeezed  until  they  all 
cried  out  and  fainted  but  the  rest  arose  as  he  released  his 
pressure  and  ran  after  him,  when  by  giving  a  hard  squeeze 
they  all  fell  down.  By  this  time  the  women  were  at  the  flat 
rock  where  their  brother  killed  his  victims.  Turkey  now 
threw  their  hearts  one  by  one  on  the  stone  and  each  cracked 
open  like  a  flint  stone. 

Deadoendjadse",  suspecting  mischief,  now  ran  to  the 
clearing  where  he  met  the  Skin  Man.  Of  him  he  made 
inquiries  as  to  what  the  noise  was  all  about.  Skin  Man  was 
very  insolent  and  called  Deadoendjadse11  bad  names,  enrag- 


204 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


ing  him  greatly.  "Turkey  has  your  heart,  Turkey  has  your 
heart,"  sang  the  Skin  Man  in  derision.  The  monster  sor- 
cerer then  rushed  into  the  clearing  where  he  saw  Turkey 
dancing  about  the  flat  stone.  He  rushed  upon  him,  but 
Turkey  threw  the  heart  upon  the  rock  and  broke  both  heart 
and  rock.  Then  he  patted  Skin  Man  all  over  the  body  and 
restored  him  to  his  normal  form.  To  his  surprise  he 
found  him  to  be  his  own  brother,  who  had  been  held  by 
sorcery  to  obey  the  commands  of  the  wizard  and  his 
sisters. 

Together  they  gathered  many  bones  that  were  strewn 
about  the  flat  rock.  When  all  were  piled  up  Turkey  kicked 
over  a  pig-nut  tree  and  called  out,  "Disjointed  bones,  arise 
before  this  tree  falls  upon  you!"  The  tree  fell  and  before 
it  hit  the  ground  a  great  host  of  people  arose  and  all  were 
quarreling,  for  all  had  portions  of  the  others'  bodies. 
Turkey  pacified  them  and  told  them  to  wait.  From  the 
throng  he  picked  out  his  own  relatives  and  with  them  re- 
turned to  his  grandmother's  lodge. 

The  grandmother  was  very  happy  when  she.  saw  her 
relatives, — her  children  and  grandchildren.  By  her  sugges- 
tion they  all  returned  to  the  clearing  where  the  strawberries 
grew  and  there  they  built  a  new  village,  and  there  they  live 
to  this  day. 


24.    CORN  RAINS  INTO  EMPTY  BARRELS. 

At  one  time  there  was  nothing  to  eat  on  all  the  earth. 
Nearly  all  the  people  had  starved  to  death,  and  a  few  that 
remained  gathered  together  on  a  high  hill.  They  lived  on 
boiled  bark. 

There  was  a  certain  young  man  who  kept  saying  all  the 
time,  "It  will  be  better  after  a  while."  Nobody  believed  him 
because  things  were  getting  worse  each  day.  His  brother 
used  to  torture  him  with  sharp  stones  and  say  harsh  things 
to  him.  The  young  man,  however,  kept  thinking  that  some- 
thing would  happen  soon.  After  a  while  he  heard  footsteps, 
as  if  on  a  clean  path.  He  listened  for  the  span  of  a  moon 
and  then  heard  them  running.  He  told  the  people  but 
nobody  believed  him. 

One  morning  while  he  sat  in  the  doorway  of  his  lodge 
with  his  head  down  on  his  knees,  a  young  woman  stood 
before  him.  He  heard  her  breathe  and  looked  up.  She 
smiled  and  handed  him  a  basket  of  bread.  "My  mother 
sent  me  to  this  lodge  to  find  a  young  man,"  she  said.  "My 
mother  wants  me  to  marry  him." 

The  people  came  out  of  the  lodge  and  looked  at  the 
young  woman  and  the  young  man's  mother  asked  from 
whence  she  had  come.  "I  have  come  from  the  far  south," 
answered  the  girl.   "There  is  plenty  of  food  there." 

So  the  young  man  ate  the  bread  and  was  married  to  the 
young  woman  from  the  south. 

Then  the  young  wife  said,  "My  mother  sent  me  to  bring 
food  to  you.  Let  everybody  take  off  the  tops  of  their  corn 
barrels  and  then  enter  the  lodge  and  cover  their  faces." 

The  sun  had  now  come  up  and  it  was  hot.  The  people 
did  not  like  their  faces  covered,  but  soon  they  heard  a  sound 
like  corn  falling  into  their  barrels.  After  a  time  the  noise 
ceased  and  the  young  wife  said,  "It  is  finished  now." 

Out  into  the  shed  went  the  people  of  the  lodge  and  found 

205 


206 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  barrels  full  of  shelled  corn.   Everybody  ate  and  all  were 

satisfied,  except  the  younger  brother,  who  threw  his  food 
into  the  fire  and  said  he  wanted  game.  Now  the  young 
wife  had  cooked  the  corn  the  young  man  threw  away,  and 
she  was  made  sad  by  his  action.  So  she  said,  "My  husband, 
go  to  the  river  and  get  fish  enough  for  the  people."  But 
the  younger  brother  said,  "It  is  foolish  to  go  to  the  river, 
for  fish  have  deserted  the  river.  There  are  none."  Never- 
theless, the  young  husband  went  to  the  river  and  drew  out 
enough  fish  for  all  the  people.  The  younger  brother  was 
very  angry. 

The  next  day  the  husband  went  hunting  and  while  he 
was  absent  the  younger  brother  began  to  torment  the  young 
wife.  "Your  food  is  not  good,"  he  said.  "I  cast  your  food 
away,"  and  again  he  threw  food  into  the  fire. 

When  the  husband  returned  he  found  his  wife  crying 
and  when  he  asked  her  what  was  troubling  her  she  said, 
"Your  younger  brother  has  spoiled  everything.  He  has  re- 
jected my  food  (speaking  thereby  the  dissatisfaction  of 
all  the  people).    I  shall  now  return  to  my  home." 

The  husband  was  very  sad  and  begged  her  not  to  go,  but 
his  wife  told  him  that  her  mother  instructed  her  to  return 
if  she  were  abused.  During  the  following  night  there  was 
a  sound  of  scraping  in  the  corn  barrels  and  in  the  morning 
when  the  women  went  for  their  corn  it  was  all  gone,  and 
with  it  the  bride  had  vanished. 

After  consultation  the  husband  determined  to  search  for 
his  wife,  and  thus  he  set  out  on  a  long  journey.  At  length 
he  came  to  a  region  of  great  corn  fields  and  after  a  while 
saw  a  high  mound  covered  with  corn  plants.  On  this 
mound  he  found  his  wife  and  her  mother.  His  wife  showed 
him  her  body  and  it  was  burned  and  scarred.  "This  is  what 
your  brother  did  to  me,"  she  said,  "when  he  threw  the  corn 
into  the  fire.   He  would  have  killed  me  had  I  remained." 

After  living  in  the  south  for  several  months  the  couple 
returned  and  found  the  people  again  starving.    The  young 


THE  CORN  MAIDEN 


207 


wife  ordered  them  to  open  their  corn  barrels  and  hide  their 
faces  once  again.  They  did  so  and  shelled  corn  fell  like  rain 
into  the  barrels  filling  them  to  the  top. 

Then  the  young  wife  told  the  people  that  corn  must  never 
be  wasted  or  thrown  away  for  it  is  food  and  if  destroyed 
will  cause  the  crops  to  be  poor  and  the  corn  to  cease  to 
yield. 


25.    TWENTGOWA  AND  THE  MISCHIEF  MAKER.1 


There  was  once  a  very  lazy  man  named  Twentgowa.  He 
had  a  wife  and  several  children.  Twentgowa  was  always 
giving  excuses  to  his  wife  as  to  why  he  did  not  hunt  game 
more  often  like  other  men. 

Twentgowa  often  went  into  the  deep  woods  and  had 
a  mossy  rock  near  a  river  where  he  would  lie  and  dream 
of  the  things  he  would  like  to  do  and  how  he  would  kill 
big  game  animals  if  he  only  had  a  chance.  More  and  more 
often  he  repaired  to  his  favorite  spot  as  his  wife  scolded 
him  for  not  bringing  home  game. 

One  evening  a  man  came  to  the  lodge  where  Twentgowa 
lived.  He  stood  in  the  doorway  and  said :  "I  am  your 
friend.  I  have  visited  you  before  but  this  is  the  first  time 
you  have  seen  me.  I  have  known  your  name  for  a  long 
time.  Now  you  must  come  often  and  see  me.  I  have  good 
things  in  my  place  of  abode  and  there  is  plenty  to  eat  and 
much  game  hanging  on  my  rafters."   Then  he  walked  away. 

Twentgowa  did  not  know  where  his  friend  lived  but 
thought  he  might  find  him  some  day.  Now  on  the  next  day 
there  was  nothing  to  eat  in  the  house,  save  a  few  pieces 
of  corn  bread,  and  the  wife  scolded  Twentgowa  saying: 
"Oh  you  who  are  always  squatting  like  a  duck  on  a  nest, 
you  shall  not  eat  but  this  food  shall  be  for  our  children. 
Begone,  and  if  you  have  a  friend  perhaps  he  will  receive 
you."   So  that  is  what  she  said. 

The  lazy  man  arose  from  his  bed  and  went  out  of  the 

house.    "I  will  now  go  and  seek  my  friend,"  he  thought  to 

himself.    He  went  directly  to  the  mossy  spot  on  the  rock 

where  he  customarily  sought  refuge  and  when  he  arrived 

there  he  found  his  bed  very  thick  with  moss,  making  it  a 

fine  spot  upon  which  to  recline.    When  he  had  lain  there 

a  short  time  he  looked  up  and  saw  a  large  bark  house,  with 
 1 — 

i    Related  by  Edward  Cornplanter,  1905. 

208 


THE  MISCHIEF  MAKER 


209 


very  fine  poles  as  supports  and  over  the  door  a  head  of 
some  animal  he  could  not  identify. 

He  arose  and  with  caution  walked  toward  the  door  of 
the  house  and  when  he  stood  before  it  he  saw  his  friend. 

"My  friend,"  said  he,  "I  did  not  know  this  house  was 
here.   I  never  saw  it  before." 

"Come  in,"  said  his  friend,  "This  is  where  I  live.  Oh 
this  house  has  here  stood  for  many  years  and  I  am  greatly 
surprised  that  you  have  not  seen  it.  Now  it  is  time  to  eat. 
Be  seated  here  on  a  mat  and  let  us  eat  together.  The  first 
thing  we  must  eat  is  os'howa,  a  pudding." 

Thereupon  the  friend  went  to  an  upper  shelf  and  took 
down  a  bowl  into  which  he  placed  a  loathly  mess  of  sub- 
stance that  had  the  odor  of  a  fish  a  long  time  dead. 
"Djiskwengo,"  exclaimed  the  friend,  and  the  bowl  filled 
up  with  steaming  pudding  of  most  enticing  odor. 

So  the  two  friends  ate  the  food  and  relished  it  greatly. 
Oh,  it  was  far  better  than  any  food  that  Twentgowa  had 
ever  eaten.  "It  is  so  delicious,"  said  he,  "that  I  would  like 
to  take  some  home  to  my  family.  I  would  like  to  borrow  a 
cooking  pot  to  contain  it." 

"My  friend,  there  is  no  need  of  that,"  said  the  house- 
holder. "I  will  give  you  power  to  do  as  I  have  done.  You 
have  only  to  follow  my  directions  and  you  will  have  great 
power  to  produce  delicious  food  for  your  family." 

So  Twentgowa  stood  at  the  back  of  the  lodge  and  his 
friend  threw  the  pot  of  food  into  him  right  through  the  wall 
of  his  abdomen.  It  vanished  through  magic  and  power 
was  within  Twentgowa. 

Twentgowa  now  said  he  was  about  to  return  to  his  home 
and  he  started  out  on  his  journey  which  seemed  very  much 
longer  than  ever  before,  as  if  the  path  had  stretched.  He 
kept  thinking  of  his  newly  acquired  power  and  thought  it 
might  be  well  to  test  it.  So  he  sat  down  on  a  log  and  used 
his  magical  word,  "Odjiskwagoh."  As  he  did  this  a  great 
pile  of  steaming  pumpkin  pudding  formed  on  the  ground. 


210 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Oh  my!"  exclaimed  Twentgowa.  "Power  within  me  is; 
now  I  shall  eat  forever."  He  was  now  satisfied  that  he  had 
a  great  friend. 

Running  home  he  entered  his  lodge  and  told  his  story. 
He  told  of  his  feasting  on  pumpkin  pudding  and  of  the 
power  he  had  to  make  it  by  magic.  So  he  took  a  jar  from 
the  top  platform  of  his  lodge  and  in  the  manner  directed 
filled  it.  He  placed  in  it  the  loathly  substance  like  unto  a 
dead  fish  and  then  conjured  it  until  it  overflowed  into  the 
large  bark  dish  in  which  the  jar  was  placed.  "Ah  now," 
said  Twentgowa,  "we  shall  have  a  feast.  Oh,  it  is  so  appe- 
tizing !" 

His  wife  was  very  angry  and  would  not  touch  the  food 
but  scolded  him,  for  instead  of  real  food  all  that  was  pro- 
duced was  a  terrible  mess  that  drove  her  and  the  children 
out  of  the  house.  She  threw  stones  into  the  lodge  and 
called  him  out,  for  he  was  dancing  inside. 

So  the  people  saw  that  Twentgowa  had  lied  and  could 
not  make  food  by  unnatural  means,  but  made  that  which 
was  evil.  And  his  wife  scolded  him  and  said :  "Do  not  go 
to  the  lodge  of  that  man  any  longer.  He  is  none  other 
than  S'hodie'onskon',  whom  we  know  as  a  mischief  maker. 
He  will  make  your  mind  abnormal  and  what  is  bad  he  will 
make  you  think  is  good.  If  you  persist  in  visiting  him  you 
will  suffer  and  great  calamity  will  befall  us  all." 

Twentgowa  was  greatly  downcast  and  wondered  why 
he  had  failed  before  the  people.  He  determined  to  go  and 
see  his  friend  again  and  seek  an  explanation.  So  he  went 
as  before.  "My  friend,  I  was  just  thinking  of  you,"  said 
his  friend  when  he  entered  the  lodge.  "Come  we  will  now 
eat  together.  This  time  we  will  have  the  whole  pumpkin. 
Oh  it  is  most  delicious." 

So  when  he  had  said  this  he  sat  down  on  a  long  bench 
and  laid  his  war  club  against  his  thighs  and  it  became  as 
if  alive.  It  lay  upon  the  bench  and  it  had  a  round  head 
which  was  very  large.    Then  the  friend  said:  "Pumpkin 


THE  MISCHIEF  MAKER 


211 


come  forth.  Thou  art  concealed  within  the  head  of  my 
warclub.   Burst  forth !" 

So  saying  he  struck  the  head  of  his  war  club  with  a 
long  handled  maul.  Immediately  a  pumpkin  rolled  forth 
from  the  head  of  his  war  club.  So  they  cooked  it  and  ate 
it.  Twentgowa  found  it  most  delicious  and  was  continually 
saying,  "Oga"onl !  Oga"on !  This  is  so  delicious,"  said  he 
"that  I  would  be  most  happy  to  have  the  power  to  do  the 
same  as  you  have  done,  for  in  this  manner  I  could  feed  my 
family." 

"I  will  give  you  power  to  so  produce  twice,"  said  the 
friend,  "but  further  you  must  not  try  for  it  is  not  good  to 
always  eat  pumpkins  alone.  Now  I  am  ready.  Stand, 
swing  your  war  club  until  it  comes  'whack'  against  the  head 
of  my  club.  If  you  can  hit  mine  there  will  be  power  within 
you." 

So  Twentgowa  swung  his  war  club  about,  spinning  on 
his  heel  until  he  came,  "squuh"  against  his  friend's  club 
and  it  made  a  great  whack  that  nearly  broke  Twentgowa  in 
twain. 

"Now,"  said  Twentgowa,  "I  will  try  my  power,"  so  he 
hit  his  club  with  a  maul  and  a  pumpkin  rolled  forth.  "Now 
I  must  go  home  and  make  pumpkins,"  he  said.  "Now  I 
go-" 

On  his  way  through  the  forest  he  began  to  wonder  if 
indeed  he  had  power.  He  thought  that  by  some  chance 
power  was  within  him  only  so  long  as  he  was  in  the  pres- 
ence of  his  friend  and  that  his  friend  had  fooled  him  by 
magic  to  make  mischief  after  the  fashion  of  S'hodienskon'. 
Thereupon  he  sat  astride  a  log  and  laid  his  war  club  before 
him,  its  round  head  being  at  the  further  end  of  the  log. 
Then  he  grasped  a  stick  and  reached  over  and  struck  the 
head  of  the  war  club.  It  was  as  his  friend  had  said,  for  a 
pumpkin  rolled  forth.  He  did  not  want  to  carry  the  pump- 
kin home  so  he  made  a  fire  and  cooked  it.   Oh  it  was  a  de- 


212 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


licious  pumpkin  and  he  kept  continually  saying  "Oga"on\" 
Then  he  went  home. 

He  went  in  his  lodge  and  greeted  his  wife.  "I  have  new 
power,"  he  said.  "My  friend  this  time  has  given  me  good 
power.  I,  will  make  pumpkins  for  you.  Get  my  stake 
maul  with  which  I  am  accustomed  to  drive  in  the  long 
stakes  of  the  house.  Now  I  seat  myself  upon  this  bench 
and  lay  my  war  club  before  me.  This  is  the  right  way  to 
proceed.  Now  I  whack  my  war  club  with  the  maul."  So 
saying  he  hit  at  the  head  of  his  club,  but  in  so  doing  he  lifted 
up  his  foot  upon  the  bench  and  whacked  his  big  toe.  It  was 
a  terrible  and  resounding  whack,  but  no  pumpkin  rolled 
forth.  Instead,  Twentgowa  fell  off  the  bench  like  a  dead 
man.   He  gave  one  dismal  long-drawn-out  howl  and  fainted. 

It  was  a  long  time  before  he  recovered  and  when  he  did 
he  was  very  sore  and  limped  when  he  walked.  He  could 
not  hunt  and  when  his  wife  scolded  him  for  a  lazy  man,  he 
sneaked  away  again  and  went  to  the  lodge  of  his  friend. 

Arriving  at  the  lodge  he  limped  in.  "Oh  my  friend," 
said  the  house  holder,  "I  have  been  awaiting  you ;  come,  let 
us  go  after  fish."  So  saying  he  went  out  and  strode  down 
to  the  creek  where  he  removed  his  leggings.  He  took  out 
his  knife  and  passed  it  through  his  lips,  moistening  it.  Then 
he  began  to  whittle  the  meat  off  his  shins  so  that  the  bone 
stood  out  sharp  like  a  long  knife.  "Now,  my  friend,"  said 
he,  "I  will  wade  swiftly  through  the  water  and  strike  the 
fishes  before  they  can  move  to  one  side.  They  will  die  and 
float  to  the  top  of  the  water  and  I  will  pick  them  up.  After 
a  while  we  will  have  enough  for  a  good  repast."  He  then 
waded  in  the  water  very  swiftly  and  soon  many  fishes  were 
upon  the  water  which  he  picked  up  and  flung  over  his 
shoulder  into  a  basket.  Coming  ashore  he  put  down  his 
basket  and  then  began  to  moisten  his  shins  with  salivary 
fluid.  They  quickly  were  restored  and  did  not  bleed  at  any 
time.  Thus  they  made  a  fire  and  feasted  on  fish.  Oh  it 
was  very  delicious  and  Twentgowa  kept  saying,  "Oga"©11'." 


THE  MISCHIEF  MAKER 


213 


"Now,  furthermore,"  he  said,  "I  would  like  to  have  this 
power  of  catching  fish  for  if  I  possessed  it  I  might  obtain 
food  for  my  family." 

"You  shall  possess  this  power,"  said  his  friend,  "and 
when  I  touch  your  shins  with  my  tongue  you  shall  have 
power  to  twice  perform  this  act  of  obtaining  fish."  And 
it  was  done. 

So  Twentgowa  tried  his  new  power  and  caught  many 
fish  which  he  left  with  his  friend.  Then  he  said,  "I  must  go 
now,  I  am  going  home."  Then  he  started  home  and  on 
the  way  through  the  woods  came  to  a  stream  that  looked  as 
if  it  had  no  fish  in  it  so  that  he  said,  "I  will  now  test  my 
power  in  order  that  I  may  not  be  laughed  at  derisively." 
So  he  whittled  his  shins  and  waded  in  the  water,  and  it  was 
as  predicted, — fish  floated  upon  the  surface  and  when  he 
had  eaten  them  he  went  on  his  way. 

He  went  in  his  lodge  and  greeted  his  wife.  "I  have 
new  power,"  he  said.  "My  friend  has  given  me  new  power. 
I  will  now  go  and  catch  fish  for  you  but  you  must  not 
mind  if  they  have  cuts  in  them.  It  is  my  manner  of  catch- 
ing fish."  So  saying  he  went  to  a  creek  and  taking  off  his 
leggings  whittled  his  shins.  As  he  cut  the  flesh  blood  flowed 
out  and  he  was  in  great  pain.  He  tried  again  and  fell  down 
bleeding.  He  bled  very  much  and  began  to  howl.  For  a 
long  time  he  bled  until  he  fainted  again. 

As  night  began  to  draw  nigh  his  wife  missed  him  and 
went  out  looking  for  him  along  the  stream.  Soon  she  saw 
a  red  trickle  in  the  creek  and  going  toward  it  saw  her  hus- 
band bleeding  from  cuts  in  his  shins.  She  dragged  him  to 
the  lodge  and  then  called  upon  her  dog  to  go  and  fetch 
S'hondie'onskon',  the  magical  friend,  to  come  and  heal  the 
husband.  The  dog  went  and  soon  the  friend  returned. 
When  Twentgowa  returned  to  his  mind  he  scolded  his 
friend,  but  his  friend  applied  salivary  fluid  to  the  wounds 
and  they  healed.  Then  said  the  friend,  "I  gave  you  power 
twice,  but  further  than  that  I  did  not  give  you.    You  have 


214 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


cheated  and  wasted  your  power.  I  shall  go  now.  Come  to 
see  me  again." 

Then  did  his  wife  scold  Twentgowa  and  said,  "You 
must  cease  your  visits  to  the  evil  mischief  maker.  He  is 
only  a  maker  of  trouble  and  you  have  never  profited  by 
his  tricks.  If  you  would  get  busy  like  a  man  and  hunt  like 
a  man  you  would  have  food.  You  are  no  good,  but  a  bad. 
lazy  man.  I  forbid  you  to  associate  with  anyone,  not  even 
the  dog." 

Now  when  Twentgowa  thought  about  the  matter  he  de- 
cided to  go  once  more  to  his  friend  and  procure  power  for 
obtaining  food.  So  he  went  away  by  stealth  and  sought  his 
friend.  When  he  had  come  to  the  bark  house  he  found  his 
friend  in  the  doorway. 

"I  have  been  waiting  for  you,"  said  his  friend.  "I  am 
all  ready  to  go  hunting.  Come  now,  I  am  ready."  He  then 
took  a  skein  of  twisted  elm  bark  cords  each  about  as  long 
as  a  man's  arm.  With  these  he  went  to  a  lake  to  which 
Twentgowa  followed  him.  "Where  are  your  arrows?" 
asked  Twentgowa.  And  his  friend  replied,  "Oh  you  will 
never  understand  my  ways.  I  hunt  underwater  with  strings. 
I  am  now  going  down  into  the  water  and  hunt  ducks." 

Away  out  on  the  lake  were  ducks  swimming  and  soon 
one  duck  after  another  disappeared.  When  all  had  van- 
ished, after  the  manner  of  ducks  diving  and  not  returning  to 
the  surface,  the  friend  returned  to  the  shore  with  a  large 
bundle  of  ducks  tied  by  the  feet  with  the  elm  bark  cord. 
"Now  we  may  eat,"  said  he.  So  they  ate  duck  and  Twent- 
gowa kept  saying,  "Ogao."  Horeover  he  said,  "Oh  I  would 
like  this  power  of  catching  ducks  for  if  I  possess  it  I  might 
feed  my  family." 

"You  shall  have  this  power,"  said  his  friend,  "but  only 
twice  may  you  try  it.  I  have  only  to  hit  your  nose  with  a 
fish  bladder  I  have  held  in  my  mouth  and  to  lick  your  bark 
cords  with  my  tongue."  So  he  did  the  necessary  thing, 
touching  Twentgowa's  nose  with  a  fish's  air-bladder  and 


THE  MISCHIEF  MAKER 


215 


biting  a  bundle  of  cords.  Twentgowa  was  delighted  and 
danced  down  to  the  water,  into  it  and  under  it.  Soon  he 
returned  with  two  ducks. 

Then  he  said,  "Now  I  must  go  home.  Now  I  go."  So 
saying  he  started  homeward,  and  on  his  way  came  to  a  big 
pond  in  which  he  saw  ducks  swimming.  "I  will  now  use 
my  power,"  he  said  and  immediately  went  into  the  water, 
returning  with  the  ducks.  Thereupon  he  threw  the  ducks 
away  and  went  home. 

Again  he  went  into  the  lodge  and  greeted  his  wife.  "I 
have  new  power,"  he  said.  "My  friend  has  given  me  power 
this  time  and  I  shall  bring  you  many  ducks."  So  then  he 
went  into  the  woods  where  there  was  a  lake. 

Into  the  lake  he  went  for  he  saw  upon  its  surface  a 
great  flock  of  ducks  swimming  closely  together.  He  had 
trouble  this  time  but  as  all  the  ducks  were  together  he  tied 
several  together  and  then  poked  one  of  them  to  scare  it. 

Upward  flew  the  ducks  with  such  impetus  that  Twent- 
gowa was  drawn  up  into  the  air  and  over  the  forest.  When 
the  ducks  had  flown  a  short  way  the  string  which  he  was 
holding  broke  and  down  he  fell  and  into  the  top  of  an 
enormous  hollow  stub.  He  stood  there  stunned  until  he 
heard  a  noise  outside.  He  peeped  through  a  knot-hole  and 
saw  a  damsel  gathering  wood.  He  made  a  squeaking  noise 
to  frighten  her  and  she  ran  up  to  the  tree  and  looked  into 
the  knot-hole.  She  saw  his  head  against  the  hole  and  im- 
mediately thought  that  there  was  a  bear  inside.  So  Twent- 
gowa rapped  on  the  inside  of  the  tree  and  it  resounded  like 
a  drum.  Twentgowa  then  sang  "Djii-ha-ha,  djii-ha-ha!" 
many  times,  and  the  damsel  danced. 

After  a  while  she  went  home  and  told  her  sisters  that 
there  was  a  bear  tree  near  by  and  that  a  bear  within  it  sang 
and  drummed.  So  they  all  went  to  the  bear  tree  and  said, 
"Oh  Bear,  make  a  song  for  us.  We  wish  to  dance."  Again 
Twentgowa  sang  and  they  all  danced.  He  found  that  he 
could  not  stop  singing,  though  he  was  tired,  and  the  damsels 


216 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


found  that  they  could  not  stop  dancing.  After  a  while  a 
man  came  and  stood  near  them.  "There  is  a  bear  inside  this 
tree  and  we  are  dancing,  come  dance,"  they  called  out  to 
him.  He  was  smiling  and  after  a  while  began  to  laugh. 
"I'll  show  you  what  kind  of  a  bear  is  inside,"  he  said.  Then 
the  singing  and  dancing  ceased.  He  took  an  axe  and  chopped 
down  the  tree.  Where  he  made  the  first  hole  black  shaggy 
hair  showed  through.  It  looked  like  a  bear.  He  kept  on 
chopping  and  after  a  time  the  stub  fell  over  and  there  inside 
was  a  man  with  his  clothes  torn  off.  He  had  on  only  his 
loin-cloth.   The  damsels  ran  in  fright. 

In  their  place  stood  the  wife  and  she  was  very  angry. 
She  scolded  him  for  making  the  damsels  dance  and  for  sing- 
ing so  long  for  them.  She  scolded  him  for  going  to  the  mis- 
chief maker's  house  and  threatened  him  if  he  ever  went 
again.  Oh,  she  gave  him  a  terrible  scolding  and  it  made 
him  frightened. 

Then  the  friend  came  out  of  the  bushes  where  he  was 
hiding  and  he  said,  "Now  you  two  who  are  married,  I  will 
speak  to  you.  Twentgowa  must  not  go  to  the  woods  any 
more  to  the  spot  where  he  has  been  accustomed  to  recline. 
He  may  not  come  to  my  house  any  more.  Henceforth  he 
must  hunt  like  other  men." 

Then  his  wife  said  to  Twentgowa,  "Come  along  home 
and  be  a  man  like  other  men.  You  never  will  be  a  magician 
for  you  haven't  the  sense  to  be  one.  You  must  be  through 
with  all  wizardry." 

Twentgowa  went  home  and  was  a  changed  man.  He 
never  went  to  the  house  of  the  mischief  maker  again.  He 
became  like  other  men  and  hunted  for  his  family. 

GENERAL  NOTES. — This  tale  of  Twentgowa  (Big  Duck)  and  the 
Mischief  Maker  is  related  as  a  humorous  story.  It  is  a  consistent 
Seneca  folk  tale  and  contains  the  customary  magical  elements. 

It  relates  the  adventures  of  a  lazy  man  who  would  not  hunt,  and 
before  whom  appeared  his  "unseen  friend,"  the  "Mischief  Maker." 
Twentgowa  goes  to  the  lodge  of  Mischief  Maker  and  learns  how  to 
produce  food  by  magic.    The  fact  that  he  is  told  that  he  can  do  it  but 


THE  MISCHIEF  MAKER 


217 


twice  does  not  impress  him.  He  receives  the  orenda,  or  magical  ability 
and  immediately  demonstrates  his  power  to  "the  friend."  Departing 
for  his  own  home  he  grows  skeptical  and  tries  again  in  the  woods. 
Succeeeding,  he  returns  home  rejoicing  and  bragging  of  his  power. 
When  he  attempts  to  demonstrate  it,  however,  he  makes  a  miserable 
failure  and  is  driven  out  of  the  lodge.  Again  he  returns  to  his  friend 
and  obtains  magic  for  another  episode,  but  repeats  the  experiments 
and  in  a  final  attempt  fails.  We  are  reminded,  through  Twentgowa's 
experiences,  of  the  man  who  said  he  frequently  thought  he  had  very 
funny  jokes  to  relate  until  he  told  them  to  his  wife,  when  he  saw 
how  flat  they  were.  Just  so,  Twentgowa  could  never  satisfy  his  wife 
that  he  possessed  any  magic. 

The  various  episodes  here  given  are  without  doubt  only  a  few  of  the 
many  that  the  story  teller  might  have  given.  The  final  escapade,  how- 
ever, is  the  one  that  cured  our  hero,  and  the  Mischief  Maker  relents. 


26.    THE  HORNED  SERPENT  RUNS  AWAY  WITH 
A  GIRL  WHO  IS  RESCUED  BY  THE 
THUNDERER. 

There  was  a  Thunderer  named  Hi'no"  who  often  hov- 
ered about  a  village  where  he  sought  to  attract  the  attention 
of  a  certain  young  woman.  He  was  a  very  friendly  man 
and  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  witches.  He  hated  all 
kinds  of  sorcery  and  his  great  chief  up  in  the  sky  whom 
we  call  Grandfather  Thunder  hated  all  wizardry  and  sor- 
cery too.  All  the  Thunderers  killed  witches  when  they  could 
find  them  at  their  evil  work. 

Now,  this  Hi"non  was  very  sure  that  he  would  win  the 
girl  he  wanted  and  he  visited  her  lodge  at  night  and  took 
a  fire  brand  from  the  fire  and  sat  down  and  talked  with  her, 
but  she  kept  saying,  "Not  yet,  perhaps  by  and  by." 

Hi"non  was  puzzled  and  resolved  to  watch  for  the  com- 
ing of  a  rival.  He  told  the  girl's  father  that  he  suspected 
some  witch  had  cast  a  spell  on  her  or  that  some  wizard  was 
secretly  visiting  her.    So  they  both  watched. 

That  same  night  a  strange  man  came.  He  had  a  very 
fine  suit  of  clothing,  and  the  skin  had  a  peculiar  tan.  It 
was  very  clean,  as  if  washed  so  that  it  shone  with  a  glitter. 
Over  his  back  and  down  the  center  there  was  a  broad  stripe 
of  black  porcupine  quills  with  a  small  diamond-shaped  pat- 
tern. He  had  a  long  neck  and  small  beady  eyes,  but  he 
was  graceful  and  moved  without  noise.  He  went  directly 
to  the  lodge  and  taking  a  light  sat  at  the  girl's  bedside. 

"Are  you  willing?"  he  asked  her.  "Come  now,  let  us 
depart.  I  want  you  for  my  wife.  I  will  take  you  to  my 
house." 

The  girl  replied,  "Not  yet,  I  think  someone  is  watching, 
but  in  three  days  I  will  be  ready." 

The  next  day  the  girl  worked  very  hard  making  a  new 
dress  and  spent  much  time  putting  black  porcupine  quills 

218 


3  * 


O  03 


.S  m 

S  o 
=  1 


— 

H 

w 


S  O  M 

J  fa  cS 

-i->  fa 

"o 

3  £  c 


2  .StS 


,d  to 


.5  cS 
^  «  p, 

S  *  £ 

o)  ci  O 

+-1  ,„  to 

o3  K  to 

^  Si  ^ 
fa  oC  ^ 

o  o3 

fa  >  o 

*»  *3  « 

o3  "C  C 

3M-2 

_h  c  Eh 

g  <B.S 
bo 

CO      .  >rH 
fa  — ' 

to  .2  >» 

2  fa 


THE  HORNED  SERPENT 


219 


upon  it  as  an  ornamentation.  It  was  her  plan  to  have  a 
dress  that  would  match  her  lover's  suit.  Upon  the  third  day 
she  finished  her  work  and  went  to  bed  early.  Her  apart- 
ment was  at  the  right  side  of  the  door  and  it  was  covered 
by  a  curtain  of  buffalo  skin  that  hung  all  the  way  down. 

Hi"non  again  called  upon  her,  taking  a  light  and  seating 
himself  back  of  the  curtain.  "I  am  willing  to  marry  you," 
he  said.   "When  will  you  become  my  wife?" 

"Not  yet,"  she  replied.   "I  am  not  ready  now  to  marry." 

"I  think  you  are  deceiving  me,"  answered  Hi"non,  "for 
you  have  on  your  new  dress  and  have  not  removed  your 
moccasins." 

"You  may  go,"  the  girl  told  him,  and  he  went  away. 

Soon  there  came  the  stranger  and  he  too  took  a  little 
torch  and  went  behind  the  curtain.  Soon  the  two  came  out 
together  and  ran  down  the  path  to  the  river. 

"I  shall  take  you  now  to  my  own  tribe,"  said  the  lover. 
"We  live  only  a  short  way  from  here.  We  must  go  over 
the  hill." 

So  onward  they  went  to  their  home,  at  length  arriving 
at  the  high  rocky  shores  of  a  lake.  They  stood  on  the  edge 
of  the  cliff  and  looked  down  at  the  water. 

"I  see  no  village  and  no  house,"  complained  the  girl. 
"Where  shall  we  go  now?  I  am  sure  that  we  are  pursued 
by  the  Thunderer." 

As  she  said  this  the  Thunderer  and  the  girl's  father 
appeared  running  toward  them. 

"It  is  dark  down  there,"  said  the  lover.  "We  will  now 
descend  and  find  our  house." 

So  saying  he  took  the  girl  by  the  waist  and  crawled  down 
the  cliff,  suddenly  diving  with  a  splash  into  the  lake.  Down 
they  went  until  they  reached  the  foot  of  the  cliff,  when  an 
opening  appeared  into  which  he  swam  with  her.  Quickly  he 
swam  upward  and  soon  they  were  in  a  dimly  lighted  lodge. 
It  was  a  strange  place  and  filled  with  numerous  fine  things. 
All  along  the  wall  there  were  different  suits  of  clothing. 


220 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Look  at  all  the  suits,"  said  the  lover,  "when  you  have 
found  one  put  it  on." 

That  night  the  couple  were  married  and  the  next  day  the 
husband  went  away.  "I  shall  return  in  three  days,"  he 
announced.  "Examine  the  fine  things  here,  and  when  you 
find  a  dress  that  you  like  put  it  on." 

For  a  long  time  the  girl  looked  at  the  things  in  the  lodge, 
but  she  was  afraid  to  put  on  anything  for  everything  had 
such  a  fishy  smell.  There  was  one  dress,  however,  that 
attracted  the  girl  and  she  was  tempted  to  put  it  on.  It  was 
very  long  and  had  a  train.  It  was  covered  all  over  with 
decorations  that  looked  like  small  porcupine  quills  flattened 
out.  There  was  a  hood  fastened  to  it  and  to  the  hood  was 
fastened  long  branching  antlers.  She  looked  at  this  dress 
longingly  but  hung  it  up  again  with  a  sigh,  for  it  smelled 
like  fish  and  she  was  afraid. 

In  due  time  her  husband  returned  and  asked  her  if  she 
had  selected  a  suit.  "I  have  found  one  that  I  admire  great- 
ly," said  she.  "But  I  am  afraid  that  I  will  not  like  it  after 
I  put  it  on.  It  has  a  peculiar  fishy  smell  and  I  am  afraid 
that  it  may  bring  evil  upon  me  if  I  wear  it." 

"Oh  no !"  exclaimed  her  husband,  "If  you  wear  that  suit 
I  will  be  greatly  pleased.  It  is  the  very  suit  that  I  hoped 
you  would  select.  Put  it  on,  my  wife,  put  it  on,  for  then 
I  shall  be  greatly  pleased.  When  I  return  from  my  next 
trip  I  hope  you  will  wear  it  for  me." 

The  next  day  the  husband  went  away,  again  promising 
soon  to  return.  Again  the  girl  busied  herself  with  looking 
at  the  trophies  hanging  in  the  lodge.  She  noticed  that  there 
were  many  suits  like  the  one  she  had  admired.  Carefully 
she  examined  each  and  then  it  dawned  upon  her  that  these 
garments  were  the  clothing  of  great  serpents.  She  was 
horrified  at  the  discovery  and  resolved  to  escape.  As  she 
went  to  the  door  she  was  swept  back  by  a  wave.  She  tried 
the  back  door  but  was  forced  into  the  lodge  again  by  the 
water.   Finally  mustering  all  her  courage  she  ran  out  of  the 


THE  HORNED  SERPENT 


221 


door  and  jumped  upward.  She  knew  that  she  had  been  in 
a  house  under  water.  Soon  she  came  to  the  surface  but 
it  was  dark  and  there  were  thunder  clouds  in  the  sky.  A 
great  storm  was  coming  up.  Then  she  heard  a  great  splash^ 
ing  and  through  the  water  she  saw  a  monster  serpent  plow- 
ing his  way  toward  her.  Its  eyes  were  fiercely  blazing  and 
there  were  horns  upon  its  head.  As  it  came  toward  her 
she  scrambled  in  dismay  up  the  dark  slippery  rocks  to 
escape  it.  As  the  lightning  flashed  she  looked  sharply  at 
the  creature  and  saw  that  its  eyes  were  those  of  her  hus- 
band. She  noticed  in  particular  a  certain  mark  on  his  eyes 
that  had  before  strangely  fascinated  her.  Then  she  realized 
that  this  was  her  husband  and  that  he  was  a  great  horned 
serpent. 

She  screamed  and  sought  to  scale  the  cliff  with  redoubled 
vigor,  but  the  monster  was  upon  her  with  a  great  hiss.  His 
huge  bulk  coiled  to  embrace  her,  when  there  was  a  terrific 
peal  of  thunder,  a  blinding  flash,  and  the  serpent  fell  dead, 
stricken  by  one  of  Hi"non's  arrows. 

The  girl  was  about  to  fall  when  a  strong  arm  grasped 
her  and  bore  her  away  in  the  darkness.  Soon  she  was  back 
at  her  father's  lodge.   The  Thunderer  had  rescued  her. 

"I  wanted  to  save  you,"  he  said,  "but  the  great  horned 
serpent  kept  me  away  by  his  magic.  He  stole  you  and  took 
you  to  his  home.  It  is  important  that  you  answer  me  one 
question :  did  you  ever  put  on  any  dress  that  he  gave  you  ? 
If  you  did  you  are  no  longer  a  woman  but  a  serpent." 

"I  resisted  the  desire  to  put  on  the  garment,"  she  told 
him. 

"Then,"  said  he,  "you  must  go  to  a  sweat  lodge  and  be 
purified." 

The  girl  went  to  the  women's  sweat  lodge  and  they  pre- 
pared her  for  the  purification.  When  she  had  sweat  and 
been  purged  with  herbs,  she  gave  a  scream  and  all  the 
women  screamed  for  she  had  expelled  two  young  serpents, 


222 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


and  they  ran  down  and  slipped  off  her  feet.  The  Thunderer 
outside  killed  them  with  a  loud  noise. 

After  a  while  the  young  woman  recovered  and  told  all 
about  her  adventure,  and  after  a  time  the  Thunderer  came 
to  her  lodge  and  said,  "I  would  like  to  take  you  now." 

"I  will  give  you  some  bread,"  she  answered,  meaning 
that  she  wished  to  marry  him.  So  she  gave  him  some  bread 
which  he  ate  and  then  they  were  married. 

The  people  of  the  village  were  now  all  afraid  that  the 
lake  would  be  visited  by  horned  serpents  seeking  revenge 
but  the  Thunderer  showed  them  a  medicine  bag  filled  with 
black  scales,  and  he  gave  every  warrior  who  would  learn 
his  song  one  scale,  and  it  was  a  scale  from  the  back  of  the 
horned  serpent.  He  told  them  that  if  they  wore  this  scale, 
the  serpent  could  not  harm  them.  So,  there  are  those  scales 
in  medicine  bundles  to  this  day. 


27.    THE  GREAT  SERPENT  AND  THE  YOUNG 
WIFE. 

There  was  a  certain  young  man  who  married  a  young 
woman.  Now  the  young  man  had  three  sisters  who  were 
very  jealous  of  the  young  wife,  because  of  her  beauty  and 
skill,  and  because  of  their  brother's  affection  for  her.  And 
so  it  was  that  the  trio  resolved  to  devise  a  plot  and  destroy 
the  young  wife. 

It  was  the  season  when  huckleberries  are  ripe  and  the 
sisters  had  invited  the  wife  to  take  a  canoe  trip  with  them 
to  a  small  island  that  arose  from  the  middle  of  a  large  lake. 
Huckleberries  were  reported  to  grow  there  in  abundance. 
Suspecting  nothing,  the  wife  mended  her  baskets  and 
started  to  prepare  food  for  the  excursion. 

"Oh  no  food  is  needed !"  exclaimed  the  older  sister. 
"We  do  not  need  a  lunch  where  so  many  berries  grow.  Our 
baskets  will  soon  be  filled  and  we  will  return  long  before  our 
hunger  comes,  meanwhile  we  can  feast  on  berries." 

The  four  women  entered  their  canoe  and  paddled  to  the 
island  far  out  in  the  lake.  When  at  last  they  had  beached 
their  canoe  and  turned  to  look  about,  they  found  the  island 
covered  with  bushes  laden  with  berries.  The  sisters  seemed 
anxious  to  go  farther  inland  but  the  wife  said  that  she 
deemed  it  wiser  to  stop  where  they  were  and  pick,  thus 
making  it  unnecessary  to  carry  heavy  baskets  a  greater  dis- 
tance to  the  canoe.  So,  stooping  over  she  commenced  to 
strip  the  berries  from  the  bushes.  This  is  exactly  what  the 
sisters  wished  as  it  gave  them  an  opportunity  to  leave  her 
behind,  and,  grumbling  at  her  laziness,  they  disappeared  in 
the  bushes. 

The  wife  worked  diligently  and  soon  had  her  large  pack- 
basket  full  to  the  brim.  Lifting  it  to  her  back  and  throwing 
the  burden  strap  (gusha'a')  over  her  forehead,  she  walked 
slowly  back  to  the  shore  expecting  to  find  her  sisters-in-law 

223 


224 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


waiting  for  her.  To  her  horror,  however,  though  she 
searched  in  every  direction,  there  was  no  sign  of  canoe  or 
women.  The  situation  then  dawned  upon  her,  and  discour- 
aged beyond  all  measure,  she  sat  down  on  the  sand  and  gave 
vent  to  her  emotions  by  a  burst  of  tears. 

She  was  alone,  a  solitary  human  creature  upon  a  far- 
away isle.  She  knew  not  what  evil  ghost  might  be  lurking 
there  to  transform  her  to  a  crow  or  a  wolf.  Perhaps  he 
might  destroy  her  in  the  darkness  and  feast  upon  the  body. 
These  and  other  fearful  thoughts  tortured  her  mind  until 
at  last,  as  the  sun  sank  low,  she  lay  down  exhausted  by 
grieving,  and  slept.  Far  into  the  night  she  slumbered. 
Time  sped  by  and  she  was  awakened  by  a  whoop  upon  the 
waters.  Sitting  up  she  looked  out  over  the  lake  where  she 
heard  a  clamor  of  voices  and  a  multitude  of  dancing  lights. 
Soon  the  lights  appeared  upon  the  shore  and  shortly  were 
arranged  in  a  circle  on  the  island. 

Creeping  up  to  a  log  that  lay  close  to  the  circle  of  lights, 
she  saw  a  company  of  creatures  gathered  in  council.  The 
beings  seemed  like  men  and  yet  more  like  animals.  Some- 
times when  she  looked  they  were  beasts  and  then  again  men. 
One  began  to  speak. 

He  said,  "Now  this  woman  has  been  deceived  by  her 
sisters-in-law  and  we  are  met  to  plan  how  to  save  her.  She 
must  be  taken  from  this  island  for  the  berries  are  poisoned 
and  if  she  dies  not  from  them  the  segowenota  (singing  wiz- 
ard) will  enchant  her." 

For  some  time  the  speaker  talked  and  finally  asked, 
"Who  now  will  carry  her  basket  to  the  land?" 

A  large  tall  being  with  a  deep  bass  voice  answered  quick- 
ly, "I  will  r 

"No,  you  may  not,  your  pride  is  before  your  courage," 
said  the  chief  speaker. 

A  huge  bulky  creature  arose  and  called  out,  "I  will  save 
her!" 


THE  GREAT  SERPENT 


225 


"No,  you  are  too  terrible  in  form  and  would  frighten 
her,"  was  the  reply. 

Several  more  volunteered  but  all  were  rejected  until  a 
very  tall  slender  being  arose  and  in  a  clear  ringing  voice 
said  he  would  use  his  utmost  power  to  save  the  unfortunate 
young  wife  if  only  permitted. 

"You  are  the  chosen  one !"  exclaimed  the  chief.  "You 
are  one  close  to  the  (knowledge  of)  people." 

The  council  adjourned,  the  voices  gradually  died  away 
and  the  lake  was  dotted  again  with  flickering  lights.  The 
young  wife  crept  back  to  her  bed,  half  afraid  and  yet  hope- 
ful of  the  morrow. 

Before  sunrise  a  voice  called  from  the  water,  and,  start- 
ing up  the  young  woman  ran  to  the  beach  and  saw  what  at 
first  appeared  to  be  a  monstrous  canoe,  but  looking  again  she 
saw  a  great  serpent  from  whose  head  arose  proud  curving 
horns  like  a  buffalo's. 

The  creature  lifted  his  head  from  the  waters  and  called. 

"I  have  come  to  rescue  you.  Trust  me  and  make  your 
seat  upon  my  head  between  my  'feathers.'  But  first  break 
twelve  osiers  and  use  them  upon  me  should  I  lag  in  my 
swimming." 

The  girl  took  her  seat  upon  the  creature's  head  and  laid 
her  whips  in  her  lap.  With  an  undulating  motion  his  long 
glistening  body  moved  through  the  ripples  but  the  wife  sat 
high  and  not  a  drop  of  water  spattered  upon  her. 

As  her  mysterious  rescuer  journeyed  his  way  he  told  her 
that  he  must  hasten  with  all  speed  as  he  belonged  to  the 
race  of  underwater  people  whom  the  mighty  He"non  hates.1 
Even  now  the  scouts  (small  black  clouds)  might  have  spied 
him  and  be  scudding  through  the  sky  bringing  after  them  a 
host  of  thunder  clouds.  Nor  was  his  an  idle  surmise,  for 
scarcely  had  he  spoken  when  a  small  black  cloud  appeared 
and  sped  with  great  rapidity  toward  them.    Instantly  the 


i    He"no  is  the  Thunder  Spirit. 


22b 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


wind  commenced  to  blow  and  the  great  serpent  called  back 
to  his  charge,  "Whip  me,  Oh  whip  me !  He"non  has  dis- 
covered us  and  is  driving  onward  his  warriors !" 

The  frightened  girl  lashed  the  monster  with  all  her 
strength  until  nearly  all  her  withes  were  broken.  In  the 
distance  the  thunder  began  to  roll  and  soon  again  in  loud 
claps.  The  dark  clouds  piled  thicker  and  came  faster.  The 
great  serpent  in  his  wild  speed  was  lashing  the  black  waters 
into  a  foam  that  flew  through  the  wind  and  covered  the 
lake.  There  was  an  ear-splitting  crash.  The  Thunder  Spirit 
was  coming  nearer.  The  gleaming  arrow  he  had  thrown 
had  riven  a  floating  oak  tree.  The  young  woman  trembled 
beneath  the  dark  cloud-banked  sky  and  feared.  The  rum- 
ble of  thunder  was  deafening.  He"non  was  casting  his  jave- 
lins faster.  A  great  sheet  of  fire  flashed  from  the  heavens 
and  lit  up  the  lake  and  the  shore.  The  thunder  crashed  and 
cracked  and  rumbled.  In  the  awful  fury  of  the  tempest  the 
great  serpent  cried  in  terror :  "Oh  use  your  lashes !  Oh  spur 
me  onward  !  My  strength  is  failing !  Scourge  me !  I  must 
save  you  and  if  I  do,  oh  will  you  not  burn  tobacco  upon  the 
shore  twice  each  year  for  me  ?   Oh  lash  me  more !" 

A  blinding  flash  of  fire  shot  from  the  rumbling  clouds 
and  buried  itself  in  the  water  at  the  side  of  the  serpent. 

"Jump  now !"  cried  the  creature,  "He"non  has  his  range 
and  I  must  dive." 

Hope  faded  from  the  young  wife's  heart.  How  much 
better  would  death  have  been  in  the  midst  of  the  waters 
or  by  the  lightning's  stroke  than  within  sight  of  the  shore. 
With  a  cry  of  agonized  despair  she  slid  from  the  head  of 
her  rescuer  and  sank  into  the  turbulent  waters.  The  horned 
monster  with  a  booming  sound  plunged  beneath  the  lake 
and  disappeared. 

The  light  broke  through  the  clouds  and  the  storm  began 
to  retreat.  The  young  woman  struggled  with  the  swirling 
waters.  Her  esteem  for  her  would-be-deliverer  sank  to  a 
bitter  hatred  for  he  had  abandoned  her  to  perish.  Her 


THE  GREAT  SERPENT 


227 


tired  limbs  could  no  longer  battle  with  the  lake.  Her  feet 
sank  but  to  her  unspeakable  surprise  they  fell  firm  on  the 
sand.  Wading  forward  in  the  semi-darkness  she  came  safe- 
ly out  on  the  shore.  Walking  inland  she  sat  down  beneath 
a  tree  to  recover  from  exhaustion  and  fright. 

The  storm  sped  away  growling  that  it  had  failed  to  slay 
Djodi'kwado'  the  monster  serpent. 

The  young  wife  arose,  wet  and  bedraggled,  but  happy 
that  she  was  safe  again.  Now  her  heart  was  full  of  grati- 
tude to  her  hard-pressed  deliverer. 

Ahead  of  her,  wandering  aimlessly,  with  hanging  head 
and  melancholy  mien,  was  a  man.  His  body  was  drenched 
with  rain  and  his  spirit  with  heavy  sorrow. 

The  woman  neared  him  and  called,  "Husband,  Oh  hus- 
band, is  it  truly  you?" 

The  man  turned  with  a  shout  of  joy  and  answered, 
"Wife,  oh  wife,  returned  living,  is  it  you  ?" 

The  drenched  and  storm-bruised  couple  joyfully  turned 
homeward.  The  three  sisters  were  there.  "Begone  now 
and  forever,"  said  the  husband. 

Then  were  the  couple  happy,  and  envy  and  jealousy 
found  no  place  with  them.  So  here  the  story  ends  and  so 
it  is  spoken. 


28.    BUSHY  HEAD  THE  BEWITCHED  WARRIOR 
RESCUES  TWO  LOST  DAUGHTERS  AND 
WINS  THEM  AS  WIVES.1 

The  daughters  of  a  woman  who  was  a  clan  matron  and 
name-holder  disappeared.  She  grieved  greatly,  but  her  hus- 
band who  was  chief  of  another  clan  said  nothing.  He  was 
a  bad  man  and  was  chief  because  he  had  lied  about  his 
brother  Donya'dassi. 

Now  Donya'dassi  had  once  been  a  skillful  hunter  but  his 
hunting  charms  had  been  stolen,  and  so  with  his  wife, 
Gawisas,  he  lived  away  from  the  village  in  a  poor  bark  hut. 

The  mother  of  the  lost  daughters,  whose  children  should 
some  day  be  in  the  sachemship  line,  offered  large  rewards 
for  their  recovery  and  continually  urged  the  young  men  to 
hunt  for  the  girls,  promising  them  as  wives  to  the  success- 
ful finder.  They  were  most  beautiful  young  women  and 
there  were  many  searchers,  but  when  winter  came,  all  re- 
turned without  news. 

Now,  it  happened  that  Gawisas,  the  poor  woman,  was 
boiling  corn  over  the  fire  in  her  lodge  and  thinking  very 
intently  about  the  lost  daughters  of  her  sister-in-law.  She 
thought  that  their  father,  jealous  of  them,  might  have  cast 
a  spell  over  them  and  hidden  them  away.  While  thus 
thinking  she  heard  a  strange  sound  outside,  a  sound  so  un- 
usual that  it  alarmed  her.  Her  husband  was  absent  on  one 
of  his  not  always  profitable  hunts.  Soon  someone  knocked 
at  the  door,  but  Gawisas  failing  to  respond,  a  strange 
creature  entered,  looked  into  her  face,  and  then  advanced 
to  the  fire.  This  being  was  Bushy  Head,  a  dwarf  with  an 
enormous  bushy  head.  Upon  its  chin  was  a  long  white 
beard  that  dragged  upon  the  floor.  He  seemed  to  be  all 
head.    The  snow  and  ice  had  so  caught  and  frozen  in  its 

i  Related  by  Mrs.  Aurelia  Jones  Miller,  Seneca,  March,  1905.  Mrs. 
Miller  said  that  she  had  heard  this  story  among  the  Six  Nations  of 
Canada  and  that  she  thought  it  might  be  of  Mohawk  origin. 

228 


BUSHY  HEAD 


229 


beard  that  as  he  walked  it  dragged  behind  him  like  a  log. 
Bushy  Head  stood  before  the  fire,  reeled  up  his  beard  and 
thawed  out  the  ice.  Gawisas  could  not  speak  because  she 
was  so  frightened,  so  she  sat  on  her  bed.  The  monster 
looked  at  her  and  then  ran  his  cane  into  the  fire,  stirring  up 
the  ashes.  The  sparks  flew  upward  and  fell  into  the  soup. 
Again  the  being  looked  at  Gawisas  but  she  only  stared 
blankly  back.  Grasping  a  ladle  he  filled  it  with  ashes  and 
threw  them  in  the  soup,  and  turning,  eyed  the  frightened 
woman  again  but  she  did  not  move  or  speak.  He  kept 
looking  at  the  woman  until  he  had  filled  the  kettle  with  ashes 
and  then  departed.  After  his  departure  Gawisas  recovered 
in  a  measure  from  her  fright  and  dragging  the  kettle  out 
of  doors  emptied  and  scoured  it.  To  her  dismay  the  crea- 
ture, whom  she  had  named  Sogogo,  returned  on  the  next 
day  and  for  six  consecutive  days,  each  time  behaving  as 
before  and  Gawisas  remaining  silent  to  all  proceedings.  At 
last  on  the  seventh  day  her  husband,  Donya'dassi,  returned 
and  she  told  him  of  all  the  strange  happenings. 

"Well,  what  did  you  say  to  him?"  he  asked,  and  when 
she  replied,  "Nothing,"  he  bade  her  speak  the  next  time 
the  Sogogo  came.  "He  wants  to  tell  you  something,"  he 
said.  "So  ask  him  what  he  wishes."  Having  given  this 
advice  Donya'dassi  departed  on  another  hunting  excursion, 
for  he  had  come  home  empty-handed.  He  was  a  chief  also, 
but  could  not  rule,  because  his  wife's  uncle  was  his  enemy. 

Sogogo  returned  soon  afterward  and  peered  into  the  face 
of  Gawisas  who  could  only  summon  up  enough  courage  to 
say,  "A-a-a-a-a." 

"A-a-a-a-a,"  replied  Sogogo,  and  filled  up  the  kettle  with 
ashes  again. 

The  next  day  passed  with  the  same  results,  but  on  the 
third  day  Gawisas  tremblingly  asked,  "What  do  you  wish, 
Sogogo  ?" 

"At  last,"  he  answered,  you  have  spoken.  "I  can  only 
speak  as  I  am  spoken  to,  and  hoped,  since  you  would  not 


230 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


greet  me,  you  would  chide  me  when  I  spoiled  your  soup. 
Now  let  me  tell  you  that  I  know  where  the  chief's  daugh- 
ters are  and  have  chosen  you  and  your  husband  as  the  ones 
to  claim  the  reward.  You  are  poor  and  plenty  of  wampum 
will  make  you  powerful.  Now  tell  your  husband,  and  if  he 
is  willing  to  aid  me  bid  him  hang  half  the  liver  and  half  the 
lights  of  every  animal  he  kills  upon  a  low  branch  of  the 
nearest  tree.  For  a  sign  that  I  am  telling  the  truth,  let  him 
chop  down  the  big  tree  before  your  lodge  and  within  it  will 
be  a  bear." 

Sogogo  departed  and  when  Donya'dassi  came  back  from 
his  hunt,  successful  this  time,  he  was  told  the  news.  He 
felled  the  tree  as  directed  by  his  wife,  killed  the  bear  and 
hung  half  the  liver  and  half  the  lights  on  the  branches  on 
the  nearest  tree. 

The  wife  was  cutting  some  choice  pieces  of  bear  meat  to 
cook  for  the  afternoon  meal  when  in  walked  Sogogo,  and 
greeting  Gawisas  and  her  husband,  sat  down  and  began 
talking  to  the  man.  He  explained  his  plan  for  rescuing  the 
lost  daughters  of  the  chief.  Donya'dassi  was  to  go  to  the 
top  of  a  certain  mound  and  seat  himself  in  a  large  basket 
which  he  found  there.  This  basket  would  rest  on  Sogogo's 
head  and  would  bear  him  to  the  inside  of  the  mound,  where 
the  chief's  daughters  had  been  hidden. 

Accordingly  the  next  day  Donya'dassi  seated  himself  in 
the  large  basket  which  he  found  on  the  mound  and  sank 
down  under  the  earth.. 

Arrived  there,  Sogogo  lifted  the  basket  from  his  head 
and  proceeded  to  instruct  Donya'dassi  how  he  must  rescue 
the  daughters. 

"Go  to  the  first  lodge  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  trail," 
he  said.  "There  you  will  see  one  of  the  girls.  Tell  her 
you  are  her  rescuer.  Bid  her  sweep  the  floor  as  soon  as 
she  hears  her  captor  approaching  and  continue  to  sweep 
until  you  depart  with  her.  Her  captor,  who  wishes  to  be- 
come her  husband,  has  seven  heads.    You  must  kill  the 


BUSHY  HEAD 


231 


creature  in  order  to  gain  the  girl.  He  will  ask  you  to  drink 
berry  juice  with  him.  Poison  will  be  in  your  cup  but  when 
he  winks  change  the  cups.  Then  he  will  want  to  fight. 
When  you  fight  him  use  this  short  crooked  knife,  and  rush- 
ing toward  him  thrust  it  between  his  seven  heads  and  cut  off 
the  middle  one.  Previously  instruct  the  girl  to  sweep  it  in 
the  fire  so  that  the  flames  will  burn  his  eyebrows  and  lashes. 
That  will  destroy  his  power  and  all  seven  heads  will  die. 
When  you  have  done  all  this  return  to  me  with  the  girl  so 
you  may  know  what  to  do  next." 

Taking  the  sharp  bent  knife  that  Sogogo  held  toward 
him,  Donya'dassi  thrust  it  in  his  pouch  and  ran  down  the 
trail  until  he  saw  a  large  bark  house  at  the  right.  Entering 
it  he  saluted  the  young  woman  whom  he  recognized  as  the 
eldest  of  the  chief's  stolen  daughters.  He  instructed  her, 
as  bidden,  and  had  scarcely  finished  when  the  seven-headed 
man  entered  and  spying  the  stranger  he  cried,  "Kwe !  Come, 
let  us  drink  a  little  strawberry  juice."  He  placed  two  gourd 
cups  on  a  bench  and  said,  "Now  drink."  Just  as  he  winked 
Donya'dassi  transposed  the  cups  and  when  the  monster 
lifted  the  berry  juice  to  his  lips  and  tasted  it  he  exclaimed, 
"Ho  ho !"  meaning,  his  power  was  lessened. 

"Come,  let  us  fight  now,"  he  cried.  "Here  are  the  clubs ; 
take  your  choice.   How  does  that  fine  new  one  suit  you  ?" 

"No,  I'll  take  that  old  one,"  said  Donya'dassi  pointing  to 
a  half  decayed  stick.  "I'll  fight  you  left-handed,"  he  con- 
tinued,  "So  ready!" 

The  daughter  began  to  sweep  and  the  men  to  fight. 
Rushing  upon  the  monster  so  close  that  no  club  could  hit 
him  he  thrust  his  knife  between  the  heads  and  with  a  quick 
jerk  of  his  arm  cut  off  the  middle  one.  The  girl  swept  it 
into  the  fire  and  when  the  eyelashes  and  brows  had  been 
singed  the  swaying  body  and  six  howling  heads  crashed  to 
the  floor.  The  girl  dropped  her  broom  and  followed 
Donya'dassi  as  he  ran  out  and  down  the  trail. 

Sogogo  was  waiting  for  them  and  after  listening  to  the 


232 


HEX EC A  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


story  of  the  successful  fight  said,  "On  the  left  hand  side, 
the  fourth  lodge  down,  is  another  lodge.  Go  there  and  res- 
cue the  other  daughter.  A  seven-headed  monster  is  keeping 
her  prisoner.  Instruct  the  girl  as  the  first.  The  monster 
will  enter  and  ask  you  to  eat.  When  he  winks  change  the 
spoons,  for  there  is  poison  in  the  wood.  Then  he  will  chal- 
lenge you  as  the  first.  Chop  off  his  ear  with  your  knife  and 
when  the  daughter  sweeps  it  into  the  fire  the  creature  will 
begin  to  die." 

Donya'dassi  obeyed  and  events  occurred  exactly  as 
Sogogo  had  predicted.  When  in  the  fight  Sogogo  had  cut 
off  the  left  ear  from  the  seven-headed  man  and  the  ear  had 
been  swept  into  the  fire,  all  seven  heads  began  to  whine  and 
the  middle  one  said,  "You  have  plotted  to  kill  me !  You 
have  been  unfair !  The  woman  has  planned  it.  Oh  you 
wicked  woman,  you  have  been  a  traitor  to  me." 

"It  is  untrue,"  shouted  Donya'dassi.  "Your  own  rule 
has  been  to  fight  all  who  enter  your  door  and  now  you  are 
defeated.  Before  our  fight  you  boasted  you  would  grind  me 
in  your  mortar  and  commanded  me  to  do  the  same  with  you 
and  feed  your  body  to  the  birds." 

"Age,  age,  age !"  moaned  the  monster  and  died. 

"Shall  I  smash  his  body?"  said  Donya'dassi,  but  the 
maiden  did  not  know.  "Go,  then,"  said  he,  "and  ask 
Sogogo." 

When  she  returned  she  told  him  to  grind  the  body  to  a 
pulp  in  the  corn  mortar  and  hasten  back  to  Sogogo  who 
awaited  him.  Donya'dassi  pounded  the  monster  heads  and 
flung  the  mass  to  the  big  crows  that  already  had  clustered 
about  the  lodge. 

Running  up  the  trail,  with  the  girl  following  him, 
Donya'dassi  found  Sogogo  waiting.  The  two  girls  and 
Donya'dassi  seated  themselves  in  the  basket,  Sogogo  lifted 
it  upon  his  head  and  in  a  short  time  they  emerged  from  the 
top  of  the  mound  and  breathed  the  outside  air  once  again. 

Sogogo  led  the  three  to  his  lodge  far  back  in  the  forest 


BUSHY  HEAD 


233 


where  he  told  all  his  history  and  then  bade  Donya'dassi 
run  to  the  lodge  of  the  great  chief  and  tell  him  to  call  a 
great  council  at  which  important  news  would  be  revealed 
and  presents  given. 

When  the  chief  had  listened  to  Donya'dassi  he  asked, 
"What  news  can  you  bring  and  what  presents  can  you 
give?" 

"I  have  luck  now,"  was  the  answer. 

The  feast  day  came  and  people  flocked  from  distant 
villages  to  hear  the  news  and  receive  the  presents. 

Donya'dassi  arose  and  said,  "I  have  come  to  tell  our 
great  chief  that  his  daughters  have  been  found  and  are  now 
safe  and  near  here  and  shall  be  restored  on  one  condition, 
that  he  remove  his  spell  from  a  certain  young  man  whom 
he  has  conjured." 

The  chief  was  greatly  angered  that  any  condition  should 
be  given  and  refused  to  grant  it. 

Meanwhile  Donya'dassi  was  arranging  long  strings  of 
wampum  and  piles  of  skins  in  piles  on  the  council-house 
floor,  one  for  each  person  present. 

"These  cannot  be  distributed  until  our  chief  grants  my 
condition,"  he  said. 

The  chief  remained  obdurate.  The  people  were  anxious 
for  their  feast  and  gifts.  The  chief's  wife  begged  him  to 
consent  and  regain  his  lost  children.  So,  fearing  the  anger 
of  his  people  and  fury  of  his  wife,  he  at  last  asked  that  the 
young  man  who  rested  under  the  spell  be  brought  to  him. 
Sogogo  entered.  The  chief  looked  ashamed  and  then 
frowned  in  anger.  "Come,"  he  said  and  led  the  way  to  a 
small  dome  shaped  lodge,  pushed  Sogogo  in  and  then 
entered  himself.  Heating  some  round  stones  he  threw  a 
handful  of  magical  herbs  upon  them.  Then  taking  his 
rattle  chanted  a  song.  The  smoke  from  the  herbs  enveloped 
Sogogo  and  when  the  song  ended  he  had  become  a  hand- 
some young  warrior.  The  chief  and  the  transformed  Sogogo 
reentered  the  council. 


234 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Where  are  the  daughters  V  shouted  the  people. 

Drawing  out  a  red  bark  box  from  his  pouch  he  opened 
it  and  out  fell  the  two  girls.  There  was  a  great  shout 
and  the  chief's  wife  rushed  forward  and  embraced  her 
children. 

Donya'dassi  distributed  his  presents. 

Donya'dassi  then  advanced  to  the  chief  who  gave  him 
the  reward,  but  so  small  was  it  in  comparison  with  Donya'- 
dassi's  liberal  gifts  that  it  seemed  a  mere  trifle. 

The  chief  soon  lost  his  influence  but  Donya'dassi,  who 
hod  grown  rich  and  successful,  succeeded  him  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people  but  Sogogo,  the  transformed,  was  happy  with 
his  two  wives,  the  chief's  daughters.  He  took  both,  that 
was  all  right  in  those  days. 


29.    THE  FLINT  CHIP  THROWER. 

Long  ago  Teg'wanda'1  married  a  beautiful  maiden  and 
went  far  away  with  her  to  his  hunting  grounds. 

Teg'wanda'  was  famous  as  a  successful  hunter  but  his 
wife's  family  had  "dry  bones",2  so  her  elder  sister  and 
mother  took  council  together  and  said,  "Come,  let  us  go  and 
live  with  Teg'wanda'  and  we  shall  ever  be  filled."  The 
prospect  of  a  never  failing  supply  of  venison  and  bear  was 
tempting  to  those  who  had  long  subsisted  on  tubers  and 
maize. 

The  wife  of  Teg'wanda'  was  kind  and  never  questioned 
his  actions.  He  never  went  long  from  the  house,  yet  he 
ever  had  game  in  abundance  and  skins  piled  high  in  his 
stores.  This  made  her  marvel,  but  she  never  made  inquiries. 
The  lodge  was  divided  in  two  compartments  but  the  couple 
lived  only  in  one.  The  other  was  almost  empty,  but 
Teg'wanda'  often  went  there.  She  would  hear  him  singing 
alone  in  the  room,  then  there  would  come  a  crash  like  a 
splintering  tree  and  soon  afterward  Teg'wanda'  would  bring 
in  a  new  pelt  and  the  carcass  of  some  beast.  This  made  her 
marvel  but  she  never  questioned. 

The  young  couple  lived  contentedly  and  never  quarreled. 
No  trouble  or  sorrow  came  to  mar  their  happiness  until 
one  day,  unheralded,  came  two  women  to  the  door  of  the 
lodge.  These  were  the  wife's  mother  and  sister.  When 
the  unbidden  guests  had  eaten  their  fill  of  good  and  mealy 
nut  pudding  they  began  to  seek  the  excuse  for  complaint. 
Then,  oh  the  railing,  the  endless  rebukes,  the  sneers  and 
sarcasm !  At  last  the  matters  turned  from  the  lodge  to  the 
couple  themselves. 

"How  does  Teg'wanda'  obtain  his  meat  ?  Surely  he  must 
be  a  wizard  and  likely  to  eat  all  of  us  women  when  his 

1  Meaning  flint,  properly  Hot"hagwen"da'. 

2  "Dry-bones"  is  a  Seneca  idiom  meaning  "lean  from  lack  of  food." 

236 


236 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


charms  fail.  He  is  evil,  he  is  lazy!  Let  us  drive  him  away." 
These  and  other  things  the  mother  said  to  her  daughter. 
So  it  came  to  pass  that  the  sister  insisted  she  must  go  with 
the  husband  wherever  he  went  and  learn  something  of  his 
habits. 

"If  you  must  go,"  said  the  wife,  "obey  him  implicitly, 
else  evil  will  occur." 

The  husband  was  downcast  but  would  not  yield  to  his 
fear  of  the  woman.  Taking  a  basket  of  salt  he  sprinkled 
the  white  crystals  upon  a  flat  rock  and  entered  the  closed 
room  with  the  woman. 

"Do  not  move  or  touch  a  thing,"  he  commanded.  "Let 
no  fear,  let  no  surprise  cause  you  to  stir !" 

Then  he  commenced  to  sing.  The  woman  looked  about 
critically.  In  one  corner  was  a  pile  of  quarry  flakes,  beside 
them  a  bench  and  in  a  heap  before  it  was  a  pile  of  keen 
edged  flint  chips.  A  sudden  sound  drew  her  attention  from 
the  lodge.  TegVanda'  ceased  singing.  Outside  some 
creature  was  snorting,  "swe-i-i-i-sh,  swe-i-i-i-sh !" 

Picking  up  a  handful  of  flint  chips  the  man  flung  them 
with  all  his  strength  against  the  wall  nearest  the  flat  rock. 
The  woman  was  now  curious  to  find  what  was  outside  and 
pushed  aside  the  curtain  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  mysterious 
things.  Instantly  the  entire  door  curtain  was  torn  from  its 
fastenings  and  a  monstrous  elk  rushed  in  and  trampled 
upon  Teg'wanda'.  Then  tossing  him  upon  its  antlers, 
bounded  out  and  fled  through  the  forest.  The  frightened 
woman  ran  after  the  elk,  but  fell  back  dispairing.  Moan- 
ing she  crept  back  to  the  lodge  and  confessed  to  the  wife. 

The  wife  burst  into  tears  and  then  bitterly  chided  her 
sister  for  her  meddlesome  ways.  Throwing  on  her  robes 
she  hastened  to  rescue  her  husband.  Carefully  she  tracked 
the  elk  and  after  many  days  journey  she  heard  a  low  trem- 
bling song.  She  knew  her  husband  was  near,  so  cautiously 
advancing  she  came  to  a  spot  where  she  could  see  a  herd 
of  elks  feeding  in  an  open.    A  deer  was  grazing  near  by. 


FLINT  CHIP  THROWER 


237 


Gently  she  whispered.  "Come,  good  brother,  lend  me  your 
coat.  You  can  do  me  good  service  thereby."  "Certainly,"  re- 
sponded the  deer  with  alacrity,  and,  walking  inconspicu- 
ously into  the  bushes,  she  removed  her  coat  and  threw  it 
upon  the  woman.  In  her  new  habiliments  the  wife  bounded 
off  into  the  midst  of  the  elks.  In  the  middle  and  sur- 
rounded by  the  rest  was  a  large  reclining  elk  whose  antlers 
held  the  emanciated  form  of  Teg'wanda'.  In  a  feeble  whis- 
per the  husband  sang. 

Walking  toward  the  elk  she  made  a  sudden  dash  and 
inserting  her  horns  beneath  her  husband's  body  lifted  him 
off  and  dashed  away  before  the  astonished  animals  could 
remonstrate,  and  indeed,  they  were  too  frightened  to  do  so. 
Galloping  breathlessly  into  the  thicket  she  set  down  her 
husband,  removed  the  deer's  skin  and  gave  it  back  with 
expressions  of  gratitude.  Then  lifting  her  husband  upon 
her  shoulders,  she  carried  him  homeward. 

On  her  journey  she  pondered  how  she  could  restore  him. 
He  was  exhausted  and  covered  with  bruises  and  wounds, 
his  body  had  wasted  away  to  a  skeleton  covered  with  skin 
and  his  mind  was  turned  with  his  sufferings.  Sitting  down 
upon  a  hollow  log  she  pondered.  A  sudden  inspiration 
came.  Quickly  she  pushed  her  husband  into  a  hollow  log 
and  gave  him  a  shove  with  her  foot  that  sent  him  sliding 
through.  When  he  emerged  from  the  other  end  he  was 
competely  restored. 

Together  they  tramped  back  home  happy  to  be  together 
once  more.  Entering  the  lodge  the  husband  cast  out  the 
inquisitive  sister  and  quarrelsome  mother  and  sent  them 
running  down  the  trail. 

"One  woman  is  sufficient  female  company  for  any  man," 
he  said.    "More  in  one  house  make  great  trouble." 


HORROR  TALES  OF  CANNIBALS 
AND  SORCERERS 


HADUI  MASK  OF  THE  FALSE  FACE  COMPANY 


VII. 


30.    THE  DUEL  OF  THE  DREAM  TEST 
BETWEEN  UNCLE  AND  NEPHEW 

There  was  a  great  long  house  built  of  poles  and  bark. 
This  long  house  was  in  a  secluded  place  where  men  were 
not  accustomed  to  come,  but  there  were  sorcerers  who  knew 
its  location,  but  shunned  it,  for  there  lived  Shogon"gwa's 
and  his  nephew  Djohiaik.  The  nephew  was  young  when 
the  uncle  assumed  charge  of  him,  and  he  had  no  real  regard 
for  the  boy,  for  he  had  slain  by  sorcery  all  his  near  relatives, 
and  knew  that  he  must  some  day  overcome  the  orenda 
(magic)  that  had  accrued  to  the  boy,  or  he  himself  would 
be  undone. 

Djohiaik  was  carefully  reared,  for  the  uncle  wished  to 
make  him  suffer  at  the  end  and  cry  out  his  weakness,  there- 
by more  greatly  enjoying  the  triumph  over  him. 

When  the  boy  had  grown  to  the  age  just  before  he  be- 
came eligible  for  his  dream  fast,  the  uncle  said,  "Now  my 
nephew,  the  time  has  come  when  you  should  hunt  for  your- 
self without  me.    Go  into  the  forest  and  bring  me  meat." 

Thereupon  Djohiaik  took  his  small  bow  and  after  a 
time  found  a  partridge  which  he  shot.  Bringing  it  to  the 
lodge  of  his  uncle  he  presented  it  to  the  elder  man.  "Oh 
now,  my  nephew,"  said  Shogongwas,  "what  is  the  name  of 
this  thing?" 

'Oh  my  uncle,"  replied  the  boy,  "I  have  never  known 
the  name  of  this  kind  of  a  thing." 

"Ho !"  exclaimed  the  uncle,  "How  then  do  you  expect 
to  be  able  to  eat  it  ?" 

The  boy  then  was  given  the  task  of  cleaning  the  bird 
for  soup,  and  when  it  was  ready  the  older  man  put  it  in  a 
clay  kettle  and  boiled  it  with  a  gruel  of  corn  meal.  Then 
he  lifted  out  the  meat  and  placed  it  with  the  fat  gravy  in  a 

241 


242 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


bark  bowl  which  he  laid  aside  for  himself.  Taking  another 
bowl  he  filled  it  with  the  thin  soup  from  the  middle  of  the 
kettle  and  handed  it  over  the  fire  to  the  boy.  The  boy 
reached  from  his  seat,  stretching  his  arms  and  finally 
grasped  the  bowl,  but  as  he  did  so  the  uncle  pulled  on  the 
bowl  and  the  boy  fell  face  forward  into  the  fire,  scorching 
his  chest  and  burning  his  hands.  At  this  the  uncle  roared 
and  called  him  clumsy,  asking  moreover,  "Where  is  your 
soup  ?  You  have  tried  to  put  out  the  fire  with  it !" 

With  great  gusto  the  uncle  devoured  the  partridge,  pick- 
ing the  bones  clean  and  casting  them  into  the  fire.  Djohiaik 
had  nothing  for  his  meal  and  was  very  hungry.  Wearily 
he  wandered  out  into  the  thicket,  coming  at  length  to  an 
unfamiliar  spot  where  there  was  a  low  mound,  as  if  a 
mud  hut  had  fallen  down  and  become  overgrown.  As  he 
looked  at  the  spot  he  heard  a  sound,  "Ketcuta,  ketcuta!" 
Peering  more  closely  in  the  snow-covered  moss  he  saw 
the  face  of  a  tcis'ga  (skull)  looking  at  his  with  open 
mouth. 

"I  am  your  uncle,"  said  the  skull.    "Give  me  tobacco." 

Djohiaik  obeyed,  and  when  the  skull  had  smoked  a  pipe- 
ful, it  coughed  and  said,  "I  am  your  uncle,  bewitched  by 
my  brother  who  has  stolen  you  in  order  to  work  vengeance 
on  you  for  the  power  you  inherit  from  your  relatives  who 
have  been  killed  by  sorcery.  You  must  remember  the 
names  of  the  animals  you  kill  and  the  next  one  you  shall  find 
will  be  a  raccoon.  Remember  its  name  and  when  your 
guardian  asks  you  its  name  tell  him  'raccoon'." 

In  time  the  boy  went  hunting  again  and  finding  a  raccoon 
shot  it.  Greatly  excited  he  began  to  repeat  the  name  rac- 
coon over  and  over.  "Raccoon,  raccoon,  raccoon,  raccoon," 
he  shouted  as  he  bore  it  to  his  uncle's  lodge.  But  so  rapidly 
was  he  running  that  he  fell  over  the  door-sill  and  sprawled 
into  the  lodge. 

"Oh  now  nephew,  what  have  you  this  time?"  inquired 
the  uncle,  but  so  excited  and  chagrined  was  the  boy  that 


THE  DREAM  TEST 


243 


he  totally  forgot  the  name.  "Wa !"  exclaimed  the  old  man, 
"If  you  cannot  speak  the  name  of  this  thing  you  shall  not 
eat  of  it.   Dress  it  for  me  and  I  will  cook  it  as  a  soup." 

When  the  raccoon  was  cooked  the  old  man  skimmed  off 
the  fat  and  poured  out  some  thin  soup  for  Djohiaik,  who  by 
this  time  was  very  hungry.  Uncle  and  nephew  sat  on  seats 
opposite  each  other  with  the  lodge  fire  between.  Passing 
over  the  bowl  of  soup  the  uncle  gave  a  quick  jerk  as  the 
boy  grasped  the  rim  and  again  pulled  him  into  the  fire. 

"Oh  nephew,  I  am  sorry,"  said  he,  laughing,  "I  am  al- 
ways in  a  hurry."  But  Djohiaik  was  sadly  burned  about 
the  face  and  made  no  reply.  With  hungry  eyes  he  watched 
his  uncle  stow  away  the  uneaten  portion  of  the  raccoon.  He 
had  not  a  mouthful. 

That  afternoon  he  again  visited  his  skeletal  uncle  and 
related  all  that  had  happened.  He  was  thoroughly  afraid 
now  for  his  uncle  was  most  ugly.  But  the  skull,  when  it 
had  smoked,  only  advised  him  to  remember  the  names  of 
the  animals  killed.  "Today,  I  believe,  you  will  shoot  a  tur- 
key. Remember  the  name  and  begin  to  use  your  power 
to  retaliate,"  said  the  skull. 

After  watching  quietly  Djohiaik  saw  a  turkey, — a  very 
large  and  fat  turkey,  which  he  shot.  Tying  its  feet  together 
he  held  it  to  his  back  by  a  burden  strap  and  lugged  it  home, 
rushing  into  the  lodge  saying,  "Turkey,  turkey,  turkey, 
turkey." 

This  time  the  uncle  asked  no  questions,  but  with  a  frown 
watched  his  nephew  pluck  the  turkey  and  prepare  it. 

"This  time  I  shall  prepare  a  roast  of  meat,"  said  the  boy. 
"I  shall  not  make  soup  as  my  uncle  does."  So  he  cooked 
the  turkey  in  a  pot  and  when  done  he  divided  the  meat  in 
two  portions,  putting  each  in  a  bark  bowl.  "Now  come  eat, 
Uncle,"  said  the  boy  handing  the  bowl  over  the  fire  to  his 
uncle. 

As  the  old  man's  hand  grasped  the  bowl,  Djohiaik  gave 


244 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


it  a  quick  pull,  overbalancing  his  uncle  and  pulling  him  into 
the  fire. 

"Oh  nephew !"  exclaimed  the  uncle.  "You  have  pur- 
posely abused  me  and  burned  my  face  and  stomach.  My 
hair  is  on  fire.  You  have  distressed  me."  But  the  boy  said 
only,  "Oh  I  was  in  such  a  hurry."  And  then  he  fell  to 
eating  the  turkey,  putting  the  uneaten  portion  on  the  shelf 
over  his  bed.   This  time  the  old  man  ate  nothing. 

The  next  morning  very  early  the  boy  said,  "I  shall  now 
arise  and  hunt  game  which  comes  to  feed  early  in  the  morn- 
ing." So  saying  he  arose,  dressed  and  took  his  bow  and 
went  out.    The  old  man  was  awake  and  looked  very  angry. 

So  Djoniaik  went  directly  to  the  skull  and  gave  it 
tobacco.  When  it  had  smoked  it  said,  "You  shall  hunt  to- 
day and  shoot  a  deer,  but  when  you  go  back  to  the  lodge 
your  uncle  will  say,  'It  will  be  a  cold  night  and  I  will  gather 
large  logs  for  a  night  fire.'  He  will  awaken  at  midnight 
with  a  dream  and  you  must  hit  him  on  the  head  to  awaken 
him,  when  he  will  relate  his  desire,  it  being  to  barter  meat 
for  fat  bear  casings.  You  must  prepare  yourself  by  taking 
a  grape  vine  and  transforming  it  as  desired."  So  instructed 
the  boy  went  upon  his  hunt  and  killed  a  deer,  bringing  it 
home  saying,  "I  have  furnished  a  deer  for  the  larder."  That 
night  after  they  had  eaten  of  the  deer,  the  old  man  looked 
very  angry. 

"This  will  be  a  very  cold  night,  I  think,"  said  the  old  man. 
"I  shall  gather  logs  to  burn  during  the  night."  And  so 
saying  he  made  a  roaring  fire  and  went  to  bed. 

Cautiously  the  nephew  arranged  his  buffalo  skin  cover- 
let so  that  he  had  a  peep-hole  through  a  worn  spot.  At 
midnight  the  uncle  arose  and  walking  on  his  knees  to  the 
fire  began  to  utter  a  worried  sound,  "Enh,  enh,  enh,  enh !" 
Then  he  threw  one  of  the  burning  logs  upon  Djoniaik,  his 
nephew.  Immediately  the  boy  leaped  up,  being  awake,  and 
threw  the  log  back  into  the  fireplace,  at  the  same  time  cry- 


THE  DREAM  TEST 


245 


ing,  "What  is  your  dream,  my  uncle  ?"  and  then  tapping  the 
old  man  on  the  head  with  a  club. 

"It  has  now  ceased,"  answered  the  uncle,  rubbing  his 
head  and  becoming  awake. 

"The  roof  must  be  removed,"  said  the  uncle,  meaning 
that  he  had  dreamed  that  the  two  must  engage  in  a  duel  of 
wits.  "Tomorrow  we  must  barter,  and  I  shall  give,  and 
you,  Oh  nephew,  shall  repay  me  with  that  which  I  must  not 
tell  you,  but  which  you  must  guess,  and  failing  great  calam- 
ity will  befall  us." 

"That  is  very  easy,"  answered  the  boy.  "Go  to  sleep ; 
in  the  morning  I  will  be  ready." 

Morning  came  and  the  old  man  began  to  sing.  "Yoh 
heh,  yoh  heh,  yoh  heh,  I  shall  trade  with  my  nephew 
Djohiaik,  and  he  shall  give  me  my  desire."  So  did  he  sing 
continually. 

It  was  a  song  that  only  a  sorcerer  would  sing  and  its 
sound  traveled  far,  so  much  so  that  all  the  wizards  heard 
it  and  said,  "Shogon"gwa's  is  singing  again  and  this  time 
has  chosen  his  own  nephew  as  a  victim."  So  they  all  came 
and  perched  about  in  the  house,  being  invisible,  to  watch  the 
duel  of  orendas  (magic  powers). 

Djohiaik  was  bidden  sit  at  the  end  of  the  long  house,  and 
it  was  very  long  indeed,  there  being  many  abandoned  fire- 
places in  it.  Far  at  the  end  he  sat  on  the  far  side  of  an  old 
fire  bed.  His  uncle  began  to  sing  again,  and  walked  for- 
ward with  a  bark  tray  in  which  were  pieces  of  meat.  "I 
offer  these  to  you,"  he  said.  "You  shall  give  me  what  I 
am  thinking  about." 

"Only  give  me  a  clue,  uncle,"  begged  the  boy.  "How 
can  I  divine  what  is  in  your  mind?" 

"Torture  by  fire  awaits  you  if  you  guess  not  by  mid- 
sun,"  sang  the  old  man  still  holding  out  the  meat,  while  the 
boy  pretended  to  be  thinking  deeply. 

"Oh,  uncle,"  said  the  boy,  "you  desire  raccoon  meat." 


246 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"No,  not  raccoon  meat.  Oh  nephew,  you  must  divine 
my  word." 

"Oh  uncle,  you  want  turkey." 

"No  not  turkey.  Oh  nephew,  you  must  divine  my 
word." 

"Oh  uncle,  you  want  partridge." 

"No  not  partridge.  Oh  nephew  you  must  divine  my 
word." 

Again  the  boy  sought  to  evade  his  uncle  by  exclaiming, 
"How  can  you  expect  me  to  guess  your  dream  unless  you 
give  me  some  clue  to  your  desire  ?" 

Again  the  uncle  fell  to  singing  the  charm  song  that  con- 
jures up  flames,  and  suddenly  they  burst  forth  from  the 
ground  with  a  loud  sound  enveloping  the  poor  nephew  who 
wrestling  with  them,  cried,  "Oh  uncle  your  desire  is  for  the 
bear  casings  enclosed  in  deep  fat." 

"Niio* !"  exclaimed  the  uncle,  and  the  flames  died  down, 
whereupon  Djohiaik  brought  forth  his  grape  stalk  which 
he  had  conjured  to  look  like  the  casings  of  a  bear.  Then 
was  the  uncle  satisfied. 

That  afternoon  the  boy  retired  to  the  forest  and  sought 
his  skeletal  advisor,  telling  him  all  that  had  happened. 

"Once  more,"  said  the  skull,  "your  uncle  will  make  a 
demand  and  all  the  circumstances  will  be  similar.  This 
time  he  will  desire  a  bear's  liver.  Go  to  a  log  in  the  swamp, 
pluck  a  red  tree  fungus  and  rub  it  with  your  hands  until  it 
becomes  a  liver." 

So  instructed  the  boy  was  ready  for  his  wizard  uncle. 
As  before  the  logs  were  gathered  and  a  great  fire  made, 
and  in  the  middle  of  the  night  the  old  man  flung  fire  upon 
the  boy  again. 

When  the  dialogue  was  over  the  boy  found  that  once 
more  a  test  was  to  come.  "It  is  nothing,"  said  he.  "Go  to 
sleep." 

Morning  came  and  the  old  wizard  sang  his  charm  song. 
The  boy  took  his  seat  as  before  and  when  pressed  by  the 


THE  DREAM  TEST 


247 


flame  he  cried  out,  "You  wish  a  liver  of  a  bear,  Oh  uncle." 

The  uncle  was  not  at  all  pleased  with  his  nephew's  power 
for  he  wished  to  consume  him  with  fire,  after  the  manner 
prescribed  for  torture,  but  he  could  not. 

Reporting  the  event  to  the  skull,  the  boy  asked  for 
further  help.  "Tonight  you  must  dream,  and  when  your 
guardian  has  struck  you  with  a  club  to  awaken  you,  you 
must  crave  the  guessing  of  your  word,  which  shall  be  one  of 
the  squashes  that  grow  in  a  sand  box  under  your  uncle's 
bed.  It  is  a  great  prize.  Have  no  mercy  but  get  what  you 
demand." 

That  night  the  boy  gathered  firewood,  remarking  that 
he  expected  the  night  to  be  very  cold  and  wanted  to  warm 
the  lodge.    The  uncle  only  scowled. 

Midnight  came,  and  the  invisible  wizards  and  sorcerers 
were  watching.  Stealthily  the  boy  arose,  and  creeping  on 
his  knees,  he  approached  the  fire,  grasping  a  blazing  log  and 
throwing  it  upon  his  uncle,  as  sleeping  persons  do.  Then 
he  began  to  grunt,  "Ehh,  enh,  enh,  enh,"  as  if  in  distress. 

The  uncle  awoke,  being  severely  scorched  and  his  bed 
set  afire.  "Oh  nephew,"  he  called  as  he  gave  the  boy  a 
knock  on  the  head  to  awaken  him.   "What  do  you  wish?" 

"It  has  now  ceased,"  said  the  boy.  "Oh  uncle,  I  have 
dreamed  that  you  and  I  must  exchange  gifts,  and  that  you 
must  give  me  what  I  desire." 

"It  shall  so  be,"  answered  the  uncle.   "This  is  nothing." 

The  two  then  retired  and  early  in  the  morning  the  boy 
awoke  and  took  his  seat.  In  a  tray  he  had  some  turkey 
meat. 

Commencing  his  song  he  called  out,  "I  am  trading  a  gift 
with  Shogon"gwa's,  my  uncle.  He  shall  give  me  in  ex- 
change what  I  most  desire."  So  saying  he  sang  the  charm 
song  that  conjures  flames  from  the  earth. 

The  old  man  took  his  seat  and  when  approached  said, 

"I  shall  divine  your  word  if  you  will  give  me  a  clue." 

"Any  clue  would  spoil  the  intention  of  the  dream,  uncle." 


248 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"Then  tell  me  at  once  what  you  wish, — be  quick  about 

it!" 

"To  utter  one  word  would  be  fatal  to  my  desire." 
"Then  the  word  is  deer  meat." 

"No  not  deer  meat,  uncle.    Hurry  for  I  shall  sing." 
"Then  you  wish  moose  meat." 

"No  not  moose  meat,  uncle.    Hurry  or  I  shall  sing." 

"Then  you  wish  my  coonskin  robe." 

"No  not  your  coonskin  robe.    I  now  commence  to  sing." 

"Then  you  wish  my  otterskin  robe,"  hastened  the  uncle, 
naming  one  of  his  prized  possessions. 

"No  uncle,  not  your  otterskin  robe.    I  now  sing." 

With  a  burst  of  the  conjurer's  song,  the  boy  began  to 
sing,  "Yoh  heh,  yoh  heh,  yoh  heh.  My  uncle  and  I  are 
exchanging.  He  shall  give  me  what  I  most  desire."  As  he 
sang  his  flames  leaped  from  the  ground,  for  Djohiaik  was 
now  an  adept  in  magic.  Surrounding  the  uncle  the  flames 
began  to  singe  him.  With  a  shriek  he  leaped  to  the  platform 
above  his  bed,  but  the  flames  followed,  until  he  called  out, 
"Oh  nephew  I  yield !" 

Descending  he  said,  "You  desire  the  squash  beneath  my 
bed,"  and  the  boy  exclaimed,  "It  is  so." 

With  great  reluctance  the  old  wizard  opened  the  bed, 
lifting  up  the  bottom  boards  like  the  top  of  a  chest.  Beneath 
in  boxes  of  sand  were  vines  with  squashes  growing  upon 
them,  though  it  was  winter  outside.  Taking  a  look  at  the 
largest,  the  old  man  shut  down  the  cover  and  exclaimed : 

"Oh  nephew,  it  is  the  custom  to  simulate  what  is  desired 
in  a  dream.  I  shall  now  carve  you  from  wood  a  squash 
that  you  may  preserve  as  a  charm." 

"Only  the  real  object  desired  shall  satisfy  me,"  answered 
the  boy.  "Must  I  sing  again?"  And  he  started  his  song 
which  brought  forth  flames  that  enshrouded  the  old  man, 
causing  him  to  cry  out,  "Oh  nephew,  I  yield !" 

This  time  the  boy  obtained  the  squash  and  with  it  the 
injunction  to  take  care  of  it,  for  it  was  a  great  prize. 


THE  DREAM  TEST 


249 


Reporting  the  episode  to  the  skull,  the  boy  received 
further  instruction.  He  was  to  dream  again  and  was  to 
demand  as  the  satisfying  word,  his  hidden  sister  who  was 
concealed  in  a  bark  case  beneath  the  wizard's  bed.  This 
was  a  great  surprise  to  the  boy,  for  he  had  not  dreamed 
that  he  had  a  sister  concealed,  this  being  the  treatment 
given  children  born  with  a  caul.  They  were  hidden  by  day 
and  only  allowed  to  go  out  by  night. 

"The  wizard  hopes  to  keep  the  child,"  said  the  skull. 
"It  is  his  greatest  prize  and  unless  you  are  very  firm  he  will 
cause  you  to  err,  thereby  escaping  your  demand.  Have  no 
pity  but  push  him  to  the  uttermost  with  your  demand." 

Again  the  boy  built  the  lodge  fire  and  as  midnight  came, 
he  crept  from  his  coverings  and  crawled  along  the  floor  of 
the  great  cavernous  lodge.  Slowly  creeping  to  the  fire  he 
seized  a  blazing  log  and  with  a  cry  flung  it  upon  his  sleeping 
uncle,  at  the  same  time  grunting,  "Enh,  enh,  enh,  enh,"  as 
if  in  distress. 

With  a  whack  of  his  club  the  old  man  awakened  the  boy, 
who  called  out,  "It  has  ceased,"  meaning  the  vision. 

"Oh  uncle,"  he  said.  "I  have  dreamed  that  you  must 
give  me  something  in  exchange  for  the  gift  I  shall  offer  you 
tomorrow." 

"It  shall  be  done,"  answered  the  uncle  with  a  dark 
frown. 

Morning  came  and  with  it  the  test.  Long  the  old  man 
sought  to  cause  the  boy  to  make  one  small  slip  in  the  custom 
but  he  failed.  Mid-day  came  and  as  the  sun  beat  down 
through  the  smoke  hole  the  boy  began  his  charm  song,  caus- 
ing flames  to  arise  as  torture  for  the  old  wizard. 

After  much  haggling  the  old  man  opened  his  bed  once 
more  and  revealed  a  bark  case  beautifully  decorated.  He 
removed  this  and  placed  it  on  a  mat,  after  which  he  opened 
the  case  and  unwrapped  a  small  woman,  beautifully  white, 
and  perfect  in  form,  though  only  as  long  as  a  man's  arm. 

"Oh  nephew,"  said  the  uncle,  "Now  that  you  have  seen 


250 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


your  sister,  I  will  replace  her  and  give  you  what  is  custom- 
ary in  such  instances,  a  carved  imitation.  You  will  be 
greatly  pleased  with  the  doll  I  give  you." 

In  reply  the  boy  gave  his  charm  song  and  again  the  magic 
flames  circled  about  the  uncle  like  a  clinging  garment.  'Oh 
nephew,  I  yield,"  he  cried  and  handed  over  the  case. 

After  much  haggling  the  old  man  opened  his  bed  once 
assured  that  success  would  come  if  he  withstood  one  more 
test, — that  of  bodily  torture  by  cold.  "Your  uncle  will  dream 
tonight  and  his  word  will  be  satisfied  only  by  causing  you 
to  be  divested  of  all  clothing  and  tied  to  a  bark  toboggan 
and  dragged  ten  times  around  the  long  house  where  you 
dwell.  I  know  not  that  you  will  endure,  for  your  magic  is 
equal." 

As  predicted  the  old  man  dreamed  that  his  nephew  strip 
the  next  morning,  though  the  weather  was  extremely  cold. 
"I  must  drag  you  around  the  lodge  ten  times,"  said  the 
uncle,  but  first  I  must  bind  you  securely  with  thongs." 

"It  will  be  very  easy,"  said  the  boy.  "Really,  it  is  noth- 
ing at  all." 

Emerging  from  the  door  the  boy  stood  in  the  intense 
cold  and  stripped  himself,  throwing  his  garments  back  into 
the  lodge.  "Now  I  am  ready,"  said  he,  and  his  uncle  then 
bound  him  tightly  with  thongs,  placing  him  on  the  bark 
toboggan. 

After  the  first  trip  around  the  uncle  called  out,  "Oh 
nephew,  are  you  still  alive  ?"  And  the  boy  answered,  "Yes, 
uncle,"  in  his  loudest  tones. 

For  a  second  time  the  uncle  made  a  circuit  of  the  long 
house,  which  was  the  longest  in  the  world,  and  again  called 
out,  "Oh  nephew,  are  you  alive?"  receiving  an  answer  just 
a  bit  fainter,  "Yes,  uncle." 

Each  time  around  the  uncle  asked  the  same  question  and 
each  time  the  answer  was  fainter  until  the  ninth  time  his 
nephew's  voice  was  scarcely  audible.    So  he  made  another 


THE  DREAM  TEST 


251 


circuit,  thinking  as  he  made  it,  "This  time  he  is  frozen  as 
stiff  as  an  icicle." 

So  when  he  had  completed  his  tenth  round  he  spoke 
again,  "Oh  nephew,  are  you  alive  ?"  And  to  his  great  sur- 
prise the  boy  called  in  the  most  sprightly  tones,  "Yes  uncle," 
whereupon  he  was  released  of  the  cords  and  entered  the 
lodge. 

All  this  the  boy  reported  to  the  skull  who  said,  "On  this 
night  you  shall  dream,  and  you  shall  demand  that  your 
wizard  uncle  submit  to  the  same  ordeal.  Allow  him  no 
mercy,  for  if  he  gains  in  one  point  all  is  lost." 

Midnight  came  and  with  it  the  episode  of  the  dream 
demand.  The  old  man  weakly  yielded  and  then  both  slept 
until  morning.  The  test  then  began,  but  the  old  man  begged, 
saying,  "I  am  old  and  if  you  will  allow  me  to  retain  my 
clothing  you  will  be  satisfied."  But  the  nephew  answered, 
"Oh  no,  uncle,  I  must  be  satisfied  according  to  my  desires. 
What  you  say  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  event." 

"Then  do  not  bind  me,  for  the  cords  will  cut  my  flesh 
and  this  is  not  a  part  of  the  demand." 

Nevertheless  the  boy  bound  his  uncle  and  threw  him 
on  his  toboggan.  With  the  completion  of  each  circuit  he 
would  ask  his  uncle  if  he  were  alive,  and  each  time  would 
be  assured  that  he  was.  Upon  finishing  the  ninth  trip  he 
again  asked,  "Uncle,  are  you  alive?"  but  there  was  no  reply 
and  drawing  the  toboggan  to  the  door  he  felt  of  his  uncle 
and  found  him  frozen  as  stiff  as  an  icicle. 

He  thereupon,  lifted  the  toboggan  high,  and  his  uncle 
was  upon  it.  With  a  mighty  fling  he  threw  it  afar  and  when 
it  came  down  with  a  crash  his  uncle  broke  into  bits  like  an 
image  of  ice. 

Reporting  the  event  to  the  skull  he  was  praised  for  his 
endurance.  "Now  we  shall  all  live  again  and  those  who 
have  been  overcome  by  magic  will  be  set  free,"  said  the 
skull.  "Cover  me  with  a  bear  skin  and  when  I  call  lift  me 
from  the  ground."    Soon  he  called  and  Djohiaik  grasped 


252 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  skull  and  lifted  it  from  the  earth  and  with  it  the  cramped 
body  of  the  tcisga.  Rubbing  it  with  his  hands  and  anointing 
it  he  restored  it  to  the  form  of  a  normal  man. 

"I  am  your  uncle,  restored,"  said  the  former  skeleton. 
"Let  us  now  search  for  your  father  and  mother."  Together 
they  set  off  and  found  another  mound  from  which  they 
conjured  the  skeletons  of  a  man  and  a  woman,  and  restored 
them  by  rubbing  and  by  oil. 

All  with  great  joy  returned  to  the  long  house  where  they 
attended  to  the  little  sister,  Djohiaik  rubbing  her  as  was  his 
custom  and  restoring  her  to  a  full  grown  maiden. 

Everyone  was  now  happy,  and  the  roosting  wizards 
silently  departed,  leaving  the  great  long  house  habitable  for 
the  restored  family,  and  soon  more  men  and  women  and 
children  came  to  live  in  the  long  house  and  it  became  a 
dwelling  where  all  were  happy. 


31.    THE  VAMPIRE  SIRENS  WHO  WERE  OVER- 
COME BY  THE  BOY  WHOSE  UNCLE  POS- 
SESSED A  MAGIC  FLUTE. 

There  was  a  long  bark  lodge,  alone  by  itself  in  a  small 
clearing.  Here  dwelt  an  elderly  man  and  his  nephew. 
Hadno"sen,  the  uncle,  possessed  a  marvelous  flute,  which  he 
kept  in  his  war  bundle,  wherein  also  were  all  his  charms  for 
luck  in  warfare  and  in  hunting.  The  flute  possessed  great 
power,  and  it  was  the  oracle  most  consulted  by  the  old  man. 
Misfortune  had  befallen  the  people  through  the  machina- 
tions of  certain  sorcerers,  and  the  flute  remained  the  only 
potent  charm  left  by  which  the  old  man  might  fortell  events. 

As  the  uncle  grew  older  he  began  to  worry  about  the 
future,  for  he  was  reaching  the  age  when  men  cease  to  go 
on  hunting  excursions.  Now  his  nephew,  Hauhwa^de11', 
was  at  the  age  when  it  was  considered  that  a  boy  is  not  yet 
ready  for  the  rigors  of  the  chase.  Therefore,  the  old 
uncle  was  perplexed. 

On  a  certain  night  the  old  man  came  home  to  the  great 
empty  bark  lodge  and  threw  down  a  deer.  "This  is  my  last 
hunt,"  he  exclaimed.  "My  nephew,  you  must  soon  learn  to 
shoot." 

"Oh  I  can  shoot  as  well  as  any  one,"  said  the  boy  with 
great  assurance,  and  so  the  old  man  gave  him  his  bow  and 
an  arrow.  "Shoot  the  spot  where  I  have  hit  that  stump 
with  an  arrow,"  said  the  old  man,  and  the  boy  taking  the 
big  bow  and  long  arrow,  pulled  the  cord  back  and  shot.  His 
arrow  struck  the  very  spot  where  his  uncle  had  pointed 
out  an  arrow  mark.  "Tea',  tea' !"  exclaimed  the  old  man. 
"You  are  now  able  to  shoot.  Tomorrow  you  may  go  hunt- 
ing, but  first  wait,  I  will  tell  you  what  animal  you  will  be 
able  to  kill." 

So  saying  the  uncle  took  his  flute  from  its  bundle  and 
examined  it.  Then  he  blew  a  few  notes  of  a  charm  song 
upon  it.    In  another  moment  the  flute  itself  uttered  notes 

253 


254 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


though  nobody  blew  upon  it.  "This  indicates  that  you  will 
kill  a  deer,"  announced  the  uncle. 

The  next  day  Haunwandeh  went  into  the  forest  alone  and 
shot  a  deer,  which  he  brought  home  to  his  uncle.  "This  is 
good,"  said  the  uncle.  "Now  let  me  consult  my  flute  again." 

Once  again  he  blew  the  notes  of  the  charm  song  upon 
his  flute,  waited  a  moment  and  then  heard  it  call  out,  "Two 
deer  shall  be  killed  tomorrow." 

"Now,  my  nephew,"  said  the  uncle  looking  very  grave, 
"I  must  tell  you  that  while  you  must  in  the  future  hunt  for 
both  of  us,  you  must  never  go  south.  Listen  to  what  I  say, 
never  go  south." 

On  the  morrow  the  boy  returned  dragging  two  deer 
and  threw  them  on  the  ground  outside  his  uncle's  doorway. 
Again  the  uncle  expressed  his  satisfaction,  and  again  he 
consulted  his  flute.  "My  nephew,"  he  announced  after  list- 
ening to  the  oracle,  "tomorrow  you  shall  kill  a  deer  and  a 
fat  bear.   Again  I  warn  you  never  to  go  south." 

The  boy  that  night  had  troubled  dreams  and  through 
his  mind  the  question  was  repeated  over  and  over,  "Why 
may  I  not  go  south,  Oh  why  may  I  not  go  south  ?" 

The  hunting  continued  each  day  as  before,  but  the  boy 
was  greatly  troubled  about  his  uncle's  command.  Never- 
theless he  obeyed  until  he  saw  that  the  lodge  was  well  sup- 
plied with  meat  which  hung  in  the  smoke  from  every  rafter, 
curing  for  winter's  use.  Then  he  thought  that  come  what 
might  to  him  he  would  go  south,  and  if  he  died  his  uncle 
would  have  plenty  to  eat  for  a  long  time. 

So  resolved  he  went  on  his  hunt,  and  by  taking  a  cir- 
cuitous route,  he  went  from  east  to  south.  Soon  he  found 
the  trail  of  an  elk  which  he  followed  southward  for  a  very 
long  ways.  Greatly  fatigued  by  the  chase  he  still  kept  up 
the  pursuit,  until  he  came  to  a  little  open  place  in  the  forest, 
where  to  his  great  surprise  he  saw  a  young  woman  sitting 
on  a  log  at  the  side  of  the  trail.  She  looked  up  at  him  with 
a  bewitching  smile  and  said,  "Come  sit  on  the  log  with  me, 
you  look  tired." 


THE  VAMPIRE  SIRENS 


Haunwandeh  looked  at  her, 
found  her  pleasing,  and  so 
went  to  the  log  and  sat  down, 
saying  nothing.  Soon  the 
girl  spoke  again.  "It  is  not 
customary,"  said  she,  "for 
young  people  to  sit  so  far 
apart  when  they  meet  as  we 
have  done.  Draw  close  to 
me  and  rest  your  head  on  my 
lap,  for  you  are  very  tired." 

The  boy  therefore  sat  close- 
ly to  her  and  then  placed  his 
head  in  her  lap.  Thereupon 
the  girl  fell  to  stroking  his 
hair  and  scratching  his  head, 
looking  the  while  for  wood 
lice.  As  she  did  this  the  boy 
began  to  feel  sleepy  and  fear- 
ing something  of  evil  might 
befall  him  tied  one  of  his 
hairs  to  a  root  beneath  the 
log,  which  act  the  girl  did  not 
notice.  Then  he  fell  into  a 
deep  sleep. 

When  the  young  woman 
saw  that  he  was  fully  asleep 
she  began  to  pat  his  body 
with  her  hand,  and  the  boy 
shrunk  in  size  with  every  pat 
until  he  was  so  small  that  the 
young  woman  placed  him  with 
ease  in  the  basket  she  carried. 
Then  she  leaped  into  the  air 
and  flew  away,  as  witches  do. 
In  a  short  time,  however,  she 
came  to  a  halt  and  was  slowly 


MAGIC  WHISTLE. 
This   whistle,   used   in  sha 
manistic  ceremonies,   is  mad< 
from  an  eagle's  wing-bone. 


256 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


drawn  back  to  the  log  from  which  she  had  started.  The 
hair  had  stretched  its  limit  and  drew  her  back.  She  took 
the  boy  out  of  the  basket  and  struck  him  with  a  small  paddle 
and  he  became  restored.  "I  will  fix  him  next  time,"  thought 
she. 

Haunwandeh  was  now  in  the  power  of  the  witch-girl 
and  stayed  all  day  with  her,  until  he  became  sleepy  again, 
when  she  stroked  his  head  once  more,  putting  him  to  sleep. 
Making  him  small  by  patting,  she  again  placed  him  in  her 
basket  and  flew  through  the  air  to  a  river  bank.  Taking 
him  out  she  asked,  "Do  you  know  where  you  are?"  Hop- 
ing to  destroy  her  magic  he  answered,  "Oh  yes,  I  know 
where  I  am.  This  is  the  place  where  my  uncle  and  I  catch 
our  fish."  So  she  put  him  in  her  basket  and  flew  to  an 
island  in  a  large  lake.  Taking  him  out  she  questioned  him 
further,  "Do  you  know  this  place?"  Still  hoping  to  de- 
ceive her  he  answered,  "Oh  this  is  the  place  where  my  uncle 
and  I  come  with  our  canoe." 

Angry  that  she  could  not  take  him  to  an  unfamiliar  spot 
the  witch-girl  replaced  him  in  her  basket  and  leaped  high 
in  the  air,  this  time  taking  him  to  a  far  distant  place.  De- 
scending she  alighted  on  the  edge  of  a  great  precipice,  so 
deep  that  the  tops  of  the  trees  below  were  only  faintly  visi- 
ble.   She  gave  a  shriek  and  threw  the  basket  over  the  cliff. 

Now  Haunwandeh,  being  attacked  by  the  powers  of 
witchcraft,  began  to  develop  his  own  magic  power,  and 
when  he  went  over  the  cliff  and  felt  himself  falling,  he  de- 
sired to  fall  as  an  autumn  leaf,  and  so  he  fluttered  down  to 
the  bottom  without  injury.  He  tumbled  out  of  the  basket 
and  saw  that  he  was  in  a  deep  hole  in  the  earth  and  that 
there  was  no  means  of  escape.  Looking  about  him  he  saw 
the  skeletons  of  numerous  men,  and  not  far  away  he  saw 
two  men  who  were  alive  but  partially  eaten. 

They  spoke  to  him.  "Oh  miserable  youth,"  said  they. 
"We  are  of  the  opinion  that  you  have  not  long  to  live." 

"How  did  you  get  here  ?"  asked  the  boy. 


THE  VAMPIRE  SIRENS 


257 


"We  met  a  young  woman,"  said  they,  "who  lured  us  to 
be  friendly  with  her,  and  she  stroked  our  hair,  then  took  us 
in  a  basket  and  threw  us  down  the  cliff.  A  great  bird  comes 
and  bites  our  bodies  and  we  are  being  eaten  and  yet  cannot 
die." 

As  they  spoke,  a  gigantic  bird  flew  by,  and  darting  at 
the  youth,  took  a  large  bit  out  of  his  arm.  He  looked  at 
the  wound  and  licked  it,  and  it  immediately  healed. 

When  the  uncle  missed  his  nephew  he  became  greatly 
distressed.  Taking  out  his  flute  he  looked  at  it  and  found 
that  the  mouth  of  it  was  stained  with  a  smear  of  blood. 
"Agi',"  he  exclaimed.  "My  nephew  has  disobeyed  and  now 
is  wounded." 

$       3|g  $  $ 

The  next  day  the  big  bird  returned  and  took  a  mouthful 
from  the  boy's  arm,  but  as  before  he  placed  the  wound  to 
his  mouth  and  healed  it  by  his  own  power. 

That  night  the  waiting  uncle  looked  at  his  flute  again 
and  found  it  very  bloody.  "Agi',"  he  exclaimed,  "some 
direful  thing  has  happened  and  I  shall  never  see  my  nephew 
again." 

On  the  following  day  the  bird  swooped  at  him  and  tore 
his  body  cruelly,  eating  large  chunks  of  it,  but  as  before  he 
healed  himself. 

As  he  lay  pondering  over  his  misery  he  heard  a  voice 
and  looking  up  saw  a  little  old  woman.  Very  small  was  she 
and  stooped  over.  "I  have  taken  pity  on  you,"  she  said.  "I 
have  a  medicine  for  you.  Take  it  and  if  in  the  morning  you 
find  a  green  sprig  coming  from  your  mouth,  snatch  it  quick- 
ly, for  it  is  a  quickly  growing  tree.  Pull  up  the  plant  that 
you  find  beneath  your  feet  and  put  the  green  sprig  into  the 
hole.  It  will  grow  to  the  top  of  the  cliff  and  you  may 
escape.  If  you  have  strong  power  within  you  there  can  be 
no  failure."    So  saying  she  handed  the  boy  a  small  white 


258 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


root  which  he  swallowed.  Seeing  this  the  little  old  woman 
vanished. 

The  next  morning  Hauhwandeh  felt  a  pain  in  his  stom- 
ach and  soon  he  felt  a  scratching  in  his  throat.  Out  came 
a  green  sprig  which  he  snatched  quickly  and,  pulling  up  a 
small  withered  plant  he  thrust  the  sprig  into  the  hole  and 
waited. 

For  a  very  long  time  the  uncle  awaited  the  return  of 
his  nephew,  and  mourned  greatly.  Not  once  did  he  leave 
the  lodge  but  sat  within  with  his  face  covered  with  the  white 
ashes  from  the  lodge  fire.  Each  day  a  sound  would  be  heard 
and  a  voice  would  call,  "Hail  Uncle,  I  have  returned !" 
Leaping  up  with  gladness  the  uncle  would  look  out,  but  see 
only  a  scampering  fox  or  mocking  screech  owl,  or  perhaps 
a  wild  goose.  So  he  fell  to  answering  all  calls  by  saying, 
"Depart  quickly,  I  know  that  you  are  deceiving  me."  So,  in 
mourning  he  sat,  covered  with  ashes  and  growing  thinner 
and  weaker  every  day. 

Haunwandeh  watched  the  green  sprig,  and  noticed  that 
it  had  begun  to  grow.  This  pleased  him  greatly  and  he 
called  all  the  bones  in  the  valley  saying :  "I  will  gather  you 
together  in  one  pile.  I  will  cause  your  resurrection  and  you 
shall  escape  with  me  for  I  have  a  growing  tree  which  we 
may  climb."  So  saying  he  gathered  the  bones  in  a  pile 
and  called  quickly,  "Hurry  now,  for  you  shall  arise.  Quick- 
ly, for  the  tree  is  growing.  Hasten,  for  I  am  now  thrusting 
a  tree  upon  you,  and  you  must  arise  before  the  tree  falls 
upon  you."  Then  he  kicked  over  the  tree  and  it  fell,  but 
before  it  touched  the  ground  all  the  skeletons  arose  looking 
like  men.  The  two  partly  eaten  men  recovered  and  said, 
"We  are  your  relatives."  Now  two  men  who  had  been 
restored  fell  to  quarreling,  because  each  had  taken  the 
other's  legs  in  the  haste  of  arising,  but  the  boy  commanded 
them  to  be  still  and  follow  him  up  the  tree.  So  all  followed, 
and  he  further  ordered  all  to  look  upward  and  not  down- 
ward, for  one  look  downward  meant  destruction.    The  tree 


THE  VAMPIRE  SIRENS 


259 


was  very  tall  and  it  took  a  long  time  to  climb  it,  and  when 
the  company  had  climbed  a  long  ways  the  two  quarreling 
men  looked  down  to  see  how  far  they  had  gone,  and  as  they 
looked  they  turned  to  skeletons  again  and  their  bones  rattled 
through  the  limbs  of  the  tree  and  past  the  others  who  were 
climbing. 

At  length  all  reached  the  top  and  gathered  about  the 
edge  of  the  cliff.  Then  the  boy  saw  that  the  company 
looked  very  friendly,  and  he  discovered  two  brothers  among 
them.  "I  must  go  to  the  house  of  the  young  woman,"  he 
said  to  his  brothers.  "I  leave  this  company  in  your  care. 
I  must  overcome  the  evil  magic  of  the  great  witches.  When 
I  have  done  this  I  shall  return.   Wait  for  me." 

Hauhwandeh  determined  to  have  his  revenge.  He 
sought  the  house  of  the  witches  and  went  straight  toward 
it.    Reaching  the  door,  he  entered  saying,  "I  have  come." 

Sitting  in  the  lodge  was  the  young  woman  who  had  be- 
witched him,  and  at  the  lodge  fire  was  the  mother,  the  great 
witch,  and  in  the  rear  of  the  lodge  were  six  daughters. 

The  mother  looked  up,  saying,  "Oh  son-in-law,  I 
dreamed  you  would  come.  My  daughter  is  waiting  for 
you." 

That  night  the  old  witch  became  disturbed  in  her  sleep 
and  arose  and  flung  herself  in  the  fire,  crying  out  a  strange 
noise.  Haufiwandeh  grabbed  the  corn  pounder  and  hit  her 
on  the  head,  saying,  "Awake  and  tell  me."  So  she  awoke 
and  said,  "Oh  son-in-law,  I  have  dreamed  that  calamity  will 
befall  us  unless  you  repair  to  the  long  lake  and  kill  two 
white  otters,  and  do  it  quickly,  before  the  skin  curtain  of 
the  lodge  door  stops  swinging,  from  your  out-going." 

"That  will  be  very  easy,"  answered  the  youth.  "Be  at 
ease  and  I  will  soon  return."  So  speaking  he  tied  his  long 
hairs  together  and  made  a  string  that  reached  from  the  door 
to  the  lake.  This  he  tied  to  the  skin  curtain  and  kept  it 
swinging  as  he  ran  to  the  lake. 

"Otters  come  forth,"  he  commanded,  and  one  great  white 


260 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


otter  leaped  from  the  lake,  but  the  youth  killed  it  with  a 
round  white  stone  that  he  carried  in  his  pouch.  As  he  did 
this  a  wave  arose  and  sped  toward  him  bearing  on  its  crest 
the  other  great  white  otter.  As  it  leaped  toward  him  he 
killed  it  as  he  had  the  first.  Running  back  to  the  lodge  he 
flung  the  bodies  in,  with  a  laugh,  exclaiming,  "Here  are 
your  otters." 

"Where?"  screamed  the  witch  woman,  leaping  from  her 
bed.  "Here,"  he  replied.  "I  shall  now  build  the  fire  and 
skin  them."  He  did  this,  saving  the  skins  and  throwing 
the  carcasses  into  the  fire.  At  this  the  witch  woman 
screamed,  "Oh,  you  have  killed  my  brothers !"  And  the  boy 
replied,  "Did  you  not  require  this  of  me?"  It  was  true,  the 
otters  were  the  witch  woman's  wizard  brothers,  and  they 
were  mighty  in  magic.  The  water  in  which  they  lived  was 
magic  water  and  when  it  touched  the  skin  of  a  man  the 
flesh  was  eaten  off,  as  if  scalded.  But  Haunwandeh  was 
harmed  not  at  all.  He  was  becoming  a  great  wizard  him- 
self. 

The  following  night  the  witch  woman  dreamed  again 
and  when  awakened  by  her  son-in-law,  required  that  he 
immediately  depart  and  kill  a  great  eagle  that  dwelt  in  the 
top  of  a  certain  tall  tree,  and  do  so  before  the  door  curtain 
stopped  swinging  from  his  departure.  Haunwandeh  obeyed 
and  finding  the  tree,  shot  a  strong  arrow  at  the  big  bird, 
but  though  he  used  great  force  in  drawing  the  bow,  the 
arrow  paused  in  mid-air  and  returned.  The  eagle's  magic 
was  too  great.  Again  he  shot  an  arrow,  commanding  it 
to  kill  the  eagle,  and  the  arrow  obeyed,  piercing  the  heart 
of  the  bird.  It  fell  to  his  feet,  and  grabbing  it  in  haste  he 
ran  to  the  lodge.  With  a  laugh  he  flung  it  in  the  door  say- 
ing, "Here  is  your  third  brother!"  "Where?"  shrieked  the 
old  witch,  leaping  from  her  bed.  "Right  here  by  the  fire," 
answered  Haunwandeh.  "I  shall  now  skin  it  and  burn  its 
body.'    When  he  had  done  this,  the  old  witch  was  in  a 


THE  VAMPIRE  SIRENS 


261 


great  rage.  With  all  six  daughters  she  was  screaming  and 
waving  her  blanket. 

Hauhwandeh  then  beckoned  to  the  young  woman  who 
had  bewitched  him.  She  looked  frightened.  "Come  along," 
he  commanded,  "this  is  a  bad  place.   We  are  going  away." 

Taking  the  young  woman  outside,  he  ordered  her  to  look 
at  the  lodge,  at  the  same  time  saying,  "House  become  flint. 
House  become  heated  red  hot."  The  house  obeyed  and  all 
the  witches  inside  perished. 

Then  he  took  the  young  woman  to  the  precipice  and 
greeting  the  men  he  had  rescued  said,  "This  young  woman 
is  said  to  be  my  wife."  So  saying  he  tied  her  with  bark 
cords  and  flung  her  over  the  cliff. 

The  entire  company  of  restored  men  then  followed 
Hauhwandeh,  and  he  led  them  back  to  his  uncle's  lodge,  call- 
ing from  without,  said,  "Hail  uncle,  I  have  returned." 

Again  and  again  he  called,  and  after  a  time  he  heard 
a  voice  answering,  "Be  away,  be  away  from  here !  I  shall 
not  be  deceived  again  by  you  animals !" 

"I  am  your  nephew,"  called  the  boy.   "I  have  returned." 

"Well,  if  you  are  my  nephew  thrust  your  hands  through 
the  hole  in  the  curtain  and  grasp  the  door  post,"  said  the 
uncle. 

The  boy  did  as  suggested  and  his  uncle  tied  his  arms 
very  tightly,  so  that  he  was  made  prisoner.  Then  the  uncle 
looked  out  and  saw  his  nephew. 

"Oh  wait  until  I  become  cleaned,"  cried  the  uncle, 
brushing  off  the  ashes  and  washing  his  blackened  face. 

So  he  cleansed  himself  and  untied  his  nephew's  arms. 
Then  he  invited  all  the  restored  relatives  into  the  lodge  for 
a  great  feast ;  so  then  Hauhwandeh  told  the  story  of  his  ad- 
ventures ;  that  is  how  we  know  about  it. 


32.    YOUNGER  BROTHER  ELUDES  HIS  SISTER- 
IN-LAW  BY  CREATING  OBSTACLES  AND 
LIBERATES  OLDER  BROTHER. 

Far  from  any  settlement  of  Ohgwe  Hon  we',  there  was 
a  lonely  lodge  wherein  dwelt  two  brothers,  one  older  than 
the  other.  Older  Brother  was  the  hunter  and  provided 
meat  for  the  lodge,  and  Younger  Brother  cooked  the  food. 
All  things  went  well  until  upon  a  certain  day  Older  came 
home  with  no  game.  Younger  carefully  observed  his  cloth- 
ing and  found  fresh  blood  stains  upon  it,  thereby  knowing 
that  he  had  killed  game. 

Day  by  day  the  brother  now  returned  without  game  of 
any  kind,  although  his  body  and  clothing  proved  by  blood 
stains  that  he  had  been  successful.  Food  in  the  lodge  be- 
came scarce  and  Younger  began  to  get  very  hungry,  but 
Older  seemed  to  be  well  fed.  Younger  watched  him  and 
noticed  that  he  seemed  to  be  thinking  of  something  other 
than  the  matters  about  which  he  spoke.  Inquiry  revealed 
nothing  of  value,  for  Older  would  always  say,  "Oh  my 
Younger  Brother,  you  should  not  bother  me." 

The  Older  Brother  went  on  another  hunting  trip,  taking 
many  accoutrements,  as  if  for  a  long  trip.  Younger  deter- 
mined to  follow  him  and  spy  upon  his  actions.  Carefully 
tracking  Older,  Younger  went  down  the  trail  until  he  came 
to  a  spring,  where  he  noticed  a  small  path  concealed  by 
leaves  and  branches.  He  determined  to  follow  this.  In  a 
short  time  he  saw  a  new  lodge.  It  appeared  to  be  very  new 
for  the  bark  had  not  yet  fully  dried,  being  still  of  the  smell 
of  the  tree.  Concealing  himself  in  a  clump  of  bushes  he 
watched.  Soon  he  heard  two  voices,  one  of  them  a  woman's. 
The  woman  was  ordering  a  man  to  do  certain  things  and 
he  was  pleading  to  be  set  free.  Soon  a  man  came  out  of  the 
lodge  and  went  west.  Younger  then  saw  that  it  was  his 
brother. 

262 


BROTHER  ELUDES  SISTER-IN-LAW 


263 


When  Older  had  been  gone  for  a  time  Younger  stood 
up  and  walked  toward  the  lodge,  making  a  noise  with  his 
feet  to  attract  attention.  The  woman  heard  the  sound  and 
came  out  of  the  house.  She  was  young  and  very  handsome 
and  had  a  peculiar  way  of  lifting  her  head  and  when  she 
looked  she  seemed  to  draw  her  eyes  together  making  an 
upright  wrinkle  between.  Her  eyes  seemed  yellow  with 
bright  spots  in  them. 

Soon  she  observed  Younger  standing  still  on  the  path 
and  smiled,  calling  him  to  her.  He  advanced  to  the  lodge 
and  she  stepped  inside,  saying  "Dadjoh,"  inviting  him  in. 
Younger  entered  and  the  young  woman  embraced  him  and 
placed  her  hand  on  his  body,  in  greeting.  Younger  noticed 
that  she  had  a  hook  on  her  hand  attached  to  a  long  fish 
line  and  that  she  was  endeavoring  to  fasten  the  hook  into 
him.  He  fled  from  the  lodge  and  ran  down  the  trail,  saying, 
"I  will  make  ready  and  return."  Younger  now  returned  to 
his  own  lodge  and  awaited  the  coming  of  Older  Brother. 

After  a  long  time  Older  returned  and  sat  down  by  the 
fire.  Younger  looked  at  him  a  while,  and  noticed  as  usual, 
blood  stains  on  his  shirt.    He  observed  something  else. 

At  last  Younger  spoke.  "My  Older  Brother,"  he  said, 
"It  is  my  opinion  that  you  have  a  fishhook  in  your  neck. 
You  are  held  by  a  long  line  that  goes  out  of  the  lodge.  I 
shall  now  proceed  to  remove  the  hook." 

Taking  Older  out  of  the  lodge  he  removed  the  hook 
and  fastened  it  to  a  thorn  bush  that  stood  on  the  edge  of 
a  cliff.  "Oh  now,  my  Older  Brother,  I  must  tell  you  that 
soon  a  woman,  who  is  your  wife,  will  pull  on  the  line  and 
when  you  do  not  return  she  will  be  after  you.  Such  is  my 
opinion.  I  also  think  that  the  woman  is  a  sorceress  and  that 
she  will  endeavor  to  kill  both  of  us.  Now  I  have  acquired 
strong  magic  and  will  save  you.  You  must  stand  here  and 
allow  me  to  pat  you  into  a  small  object  which  I  will  place 
in  the  hollow  of  an  antler-tipped  arrow-point.  I  will  shoot 
this  arrow  into  the  sky.   It  will  go  a  long  ways  and  then  fall 


264 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


to  the  ground.  When  you  strike  the  ground  become  normal 
in  size  and  run  as  fast  as  you  can  until  you  find  a  new  lodge 
far  to  the  east.   There  dwell  until  I  come  for  you." 

Now  all  happened  as  related  by  Younger  and  when  the 
arrow  was  shot  it  made  a  path  in  the  sky,  and  striking  the 
earth,  Older  came  out  of  the  conical  tip  and  ran  east. 

After  the  arrow's  flight  the  sorceress  pulled  on  the  fish 
line,  seeking  to  draw  Older  back  to  her,  but  the  string  held 
fast.  So  she  followed  the  line  until  she  came  to  the  thorn 
bush.  Then  she  saw  what  had  happened  and  was  very 
angry.  Her  first  thought  was  to  hunt  for  Younger,  to  whom 
she  attributed  the  blame. 

Younger  ran  as  fast  as  he  could,  aided  by  his  magic, 
but  the  sorceress  was  swifter  than  he  and  soon  saw  him 
before  her.  With  a  shrill  cry  she  bore  down  upon  him  mak- 
ing a  barking  sound  and  yelling,  "You  cannot  escape  me, 
you  cannot  escape  me." 

Younger  then  disappeared  around  a  big  rock  and  took  off 
his  moccasins.  "Run  to  the  end  of  the  world,"  he  com- 
manded, and  then  transformed  himself  into  the  likeness  of 
an  old  stump. 

On  came  the  sorceress,  following  the  moccasin  tracks. 
She  paused  at  the  stump  and  then  said,  "Most  truly  this 
stump  looks  like  a  man,  but  I  see  his  tracks  going  in  a  direc- 
tion away  from  here."  Thereupon  she  began  her  chase 
again  yelling  as  was  her  custom,  "You  cannot  escape  me." 
After  a  long  time  she  came  to  the  end  of  the  world  and 
found  a  pair  of  moccasins.  Her  rage  was  terrible  and  she 
tore  up  the  ground,  saying,  "He  thinks,  perhaps,  that  he 
has  deceived  me,  but  I  will  find  him.  He  cannot  escape  me." 
She  retraced  her  steps  and  came  to  the  place  where  the 
stump  had  been  but  it  had  vanished,  for  Younger  had  been 
running  away  all  this  time.  The  sorceress  followed  his 
trail  until  she  came  into  sight  of  him  again,  when  she  yelled, 
"You  cannot  escape  me."  When  she  was  almost  upon  him 
he  took  a  small  round  stone  from  his  pocket  and  cast  it 


BROTHER  ELUDES  SISTER-IN-LAW 


265 


upon  the  ground,  at  the  same  time  running  with  all  the  speed 
his  magic  would  give. 

The  stone  became  an  immense  escarpment,  so  high  that 
the  sorceress  could  not  climb  over  it.  She  uttered  exclama- 
tions in  token  of  her  disgust  and  began  to  run  at  the  foot 
of  the  cliff  but  it  went  on  without  ceasing  until  she  came 
to  the  end  of  the  world,  when  she  ran  back  to  the  place 
where  she  had  started  and  then  on  to  the  other  end  of  the 
world.  Returning  she  began  to  push  the  cliff  and  then 
to  beat  it  with  her  hands.  Finally  she  ran  into  it  trying  to 
batter  it  down  with  her  head  but  she  crashed  into  the  rock 
with  such  force  that  she  fell  down  as  if  hit  by  a  war  club, 
and  fainted.  For  a  long  time  she  lay  still  like  a  dead  person, 
but  finally  revived.  Looking  about  she  spied  a  small  white 
stone.  "Tcisna !"  she  exclaimed,  "Have  I  been  overcome 
by  so  small  a  stone  ?  I  now  perceive  that  the  boy  is  a 
magician." 

Again  she  began  to  run  and  soon  again  saw  Younger 
running  before  her.  "You  cannot  escape  me,"  she  called  as 
she  ran  toward  him,  whereupon  Younger  took  a  handful  of 
pigeon  feathers  from  his  pouch  and  cast  them  into  the  air, 
saying,  "Do  you  become  a  great  pigeon  roost  as  if  of  long 
duration." 

With  this  command  the  feathers  became  pigeons  and 
they  flew  through  the  trees  until  all  were  filled.  Beneath 
them  the  ground  became  deep  with  slime  and  into  this  the 
sorceress  ran.  She  drew  back  for  it  was  like  a  pitch  bed 
to  a  beetle.  In  vain  she  tried  to  plow  through,  and  then 
turned  and  ran  along  the  edge  until  she  reached  the  end  of 
the  world,  and  failing  to  break  through  she  ran  the  other 
way,  but  found  the  slime  made  a  track  to  the  other  end  of 
the  world.  Returning  to  the  middle  spot  she  began  to  beat 
it  with  her  head,  but  became  smothered  and  fell  down  in 
a  faint,  as  if  dead. 

After  a  long  time  she  revived  and  found  a  pigeon  feather 
on  her  nose.    "Tcisna!"  she  exclaimed.    "This  boy  is  a 


266 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


magician.  But  he  cannot  escape  me."  So  crying,  she  started 
the  pursuit  again  and  after  a  long  time  saw  him  ahead  of 
her  running  very  fast.  When  she  was  nearly  upon  him 
Younger  stamped  his  foot  into  the  ground  and  cried,  "Be- 
come a  deep  hole."  Then  he  ran  on.  The  sorceress  came 
to  the  hole  but  it  was  so  wide  and  so  deep  that  she  could  not 
cross  it.  She  endeavored  to  run  around  it  but  could  not 
find  an  end  in  either  direction  and  finally  returned  to  the 
starting  point  and  endeavored  to  jump  across,  but  she  fell 
in  with  a  loud  noise  and  went  to  the  bottom,  knocking  her 
head  on  a  stone.  Long  she  lay  stunned  and  when  she  re- 
vived she  looked  about  and  saw  only  a  moccasin  track  in 
the  mud,  laid  across  the  path.  "He  is  a  magician,  he  thinks, 
but  he  cannot  escape  me,"  cried  the  sorceress,  and  began 
the  chase  once  more. 

Now  after  a  time  Younger  came  to  a  broad  river  where 
he  saw  a  great  number  of  people  swimming  about  and  rac- 
ing in  the  water.  He  heard  the  sounds  of  the  sorceress  as 
she  pursued  him  and  exerting  his  magic  said,  "May  the 
swimmer  who  is  the  greatest  distance  out  in  the  river  take 
on  my  appearance,  whilst  I  become  a  tree  stub."  The  angry 
sorceress  reached  the  river  and  paused  at  the  stub,  and  soon 
discovered  the  appearance  of  Younger  far  out  in  the  river. 
In  plunged  the  angry  woman  and  soon  came  to  the  bather 
whom  she  saw  was  not  her  victim.  With  a  cry  she  swam 
back  to  the  shore  to  find  the  deceiving  tree  stub,  but  it  had 
vanished  leaving  moccasin  tracks  in  the  direction  it  had 
taken. 

Younger  ran  very  fast  this  time  for  he  was  almost  at  the 
end  of  his  tricks.  When  he  was  about  discouraged,  a  strange 
old  man  with  a  broad  back  and  a  wide  mouth  appeared  be- 
fore him.  "My  nephew,"  said  the  old  man.  "My  name  is 
Toad.  I  will  aid  you  in  your  escape.  I  understand  that 
there  is  a  woman  who  is  pursuing  you,  and  this  is  great 
trouble.    Get  on  my  back  and  bounce  up  and  down.    I  will 


BROTHER  ELUDES  SISTER-IN-LAW 


267 


give  a  spring  and  throw  you  far  up  on  a  smooth  hill.  Climb 
as  far  as  you  can  to  the  top." 

Younger  clambered  on  Toad's  back  which  was  very 
springy,  and  Toad  arose  with  a  leap  throwing  Younger  far 
through  the  air  and  landing  him  on  the  surface  of  a  slippery 
hill.  He  endeavored  to  climb  the  hill  but  reaching  a  very 
shiny  spot  fell  into  a  groove  and  began  to  slip.  Down, 
down  he  slipped  with  great  rapidity  until  he  slid  with  a  cloud 
of  dust  into  a  big  lodge  where  an  old  woman  and  her  two 
daughters  were  boiling  bear  oil  over  the  fireplace. 

"Augh!"  cried  the  old  woman,  "I  guess  somebody  has 
fallen  in  our  trap.    Let  us  see  what  it  is." 

When  the  women  saw  Younger,  the  old  woman  asked, 
"What  are  you  doing  here  ?" 

"Oh  my  aunt,"  exclaimed  the  distressed  Younger.  "I 
have  been  running  away  from  a  very  evil  witch.  She  is 
now  pursuing  me.  I  met  an  old  man  who  threw  me  upon 
a  slippery  hillside  and  I  slipped  down  where  I  am  now 
sitting." 

"Well,  she  is  coming  now,"  said  the  old  woman.  "You 
climb  up  on  the  platform  over  my  bed  and  hide.  I  think 
I  can  overcome  this  witch." 

Younger  obeyed  with  alacrity,  and  soon  heard  the  sor- 
ceress slide  into  the  lodge,  crying,  "He  cannot  escape  me !" 

"What  are  you  doing  here?"  asked  the  old  woman. 

"I  am  pursuing  a  very  bad  magician,"  answered  the 
sorceress.  "He  has  caused  me  much  trouble.  Have  you 
seen  him  in  this  lodge?" 

"Oh  yes,  my  niece,"  answered  the  old  woman.  "I  have 
him  now.  He  is  a  great  magician  and  went  into  this  pot 
of  bear  oil." 

Now  the  old  woman  possessed  magic,  and  conjured  the 
face  of  Younger  into  the  bottom  of  the  pot  of  oil. 

The  sorceress  looked  in,  and,  crying,  "You  cannot  escape 
me  now,"  leaped  into  the  pot,  going  to  the  bottom.  Now 


268 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  oil  was  boiling  and  it  killed  her  so  that  she  could  never 
return  to  life  again.   It  was  the  end  of  her. 

Then  the  old  woman  called  Younger  and  said,  "I  have 
been  waiting  for  you  a  long  time.  I  notice  that  you  are  of 
our  kind  of  people.  You  shall  become  my  son-in-law,  by 
taking  my  youngest  daughter." 

Younger  looked  at  the  girl  and  saw  that  she  was  most 
desirable.  He  had  never  seen  a  girl  who  was  so  much  to 
his  taste.    So  soon  they  were  married. 

Younger  lived  in  the  lodge  with  the  women  and  he 
hunted  for  them,  bringing  in  a  great  number  of  deer  every 
day,  which  the  women  dried  and  smoked.  After  a  year 
Younger's  wife  bore  him  two  sons.  They  were  precocious 
boys  who  learned  to  talk  very  early,  also  to  play  about. 

It  was  not  long  before  they  were  full  grown  and  asked 
where  their  relatives  lived.  Younger,  their  father,  answered 
that  all  had  been  killed  by  sorcery  but  their  uncle,  his  own 
brother,  whom  he  has  rescued  by  sending  him  away  in  an 
arrow. 

"It  is  well,"  said  the  boys.  "We  will  go  after  him."  So 
they  set  forth  after  their  uncle.  Long  they  traveled  until 
in  a  strange  country  they  found  an  old  lodge  and  in  it  a 
lonely  old  man  with  a  sore  spot  in  his  neck,  which  he  was 
continually  nursing. 

"Our  uncle,"  they  called  to  him.  "We  two  are  your 
nephews  and  have  come  for  you.  Come  with  us.  We  have 
an  aunt  older  than  our  mother.   You  can  marry  her." 

So  Older  returned  with  his  nephews  and  when  he  came 
to  the  lodge  he  found  his  brother  Younger.  Then  he  saw 
the  woman  who  would  become  his  wife.  He  liked  her  and 
they  were  soon  married.  All  lived  together  and  they  had 
no  more  trouble  with  wizards  or  witches.  Younger  had 
too  much  power  now,  and  everything  otgont  (evil)  was 
afraid  of  him. 


33.    THE  ISLAND  OF  THE  CANNIBAL. 

Ganondai'yeo  lived  with  his  aged  grandparents  in  the 
depths  of  a  great  wood.  The  old  people  were  always  sad 
but  Ganondai'yeo  was  never  able  to  discover  the  cause  and 
inquiry  would  only  bring  the  injunction,  "Never  go  west !" 
The  boy  obeyed  and  played  happily  in  the  forest  to  the  north 
and  the  south  and  the  east  but  shunned  the  dark  woods  to 
the  west. 

At  length  Ganondai'yeo  began  to  reason  upon  the 
matter : 

"Never  go  west,"  he  said  to  himself.  "Now  why  may 
not  I  go  west?  Is  not  west  as  good  as  east?  Surely  I  am 
denied  my  rights  and  shall  no  longer  submit.  I  am  going 
to  find  out  why  the  west  is  to  be  avoided." 

Thus  determined,  he  crept  cautiously  through  the  vine- 
bound  underbrush  and  with  caution  advanced  in  a  westerly 
direction.  He  kept  on  for  some  time  and  then,  to  his  sur- 
prise, found  himself  on  the  borders  of  a  large  body  of  swift 
water.  He  looked  across  the  broad  expanse  with  admira- 
tion and  wonder.  Was  this  the  sight  his  grandparents 
wished  to  deny  him?  "Oh  the  shameful  rule  that  forbade 
him  this !"  he  thought.  While  he  was  gazing  at  the  scene 
and  meditating  upon  it,  he  heard  a  sound  behind  him.  A 
pleasant  voice  was  saying : 

"Hai',  Hai' !  Is  it  not  a  beautiful  stream  and  wonderful 
too?  Did  you  never  see  it  before?  Come,  jump  into  my 
canoe  and  let  us  visit  some  of  the  inlets  and  islands  that 
are  found  hereabouts.  We  will  return  in  a  short  time  and 
you  will  have  seen  sights  worth  talking  about." 

Ganondai'yeo  was  charmed  with  the  words  of  the  strang- 
er, and  following  him,  stepped  into  the  canoe  that  lay 
on  the  sandy  beach  of  a  cove.  The  stranger  gave  the  canoe 
a  shove  with  his  paddle  and  sent  it  shooting  out  from  the 
shore.  With  swift  even  strokes  he  carried  it  far  out  from 
the  land. 

269 


270 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


"We  shall  visit  a  beautiful  island,"  said  the  stranger. 

A  short  distance  ahead  Ganondai'yeo  saw  a  small  island 
in  the  center  of  which  was  a  dense  clump  of  trees.  It  lay 
near  a  very  large  island.  Such  a  charming  spot  was  it  that 
he  wondered  if  its  inhabitants  were  men  or  ghosts. 

Soon  the  canoe  grated  upon  the  sandy  beach  and,  both 
jumping  out,  the  stranger  drew  up  the  canoe. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "look  around  and  see  what  a  fine  place 
this  is.    Oh  you  will  like  it, — you  will  like  it ;  I  do !" 

Ganondai'yeo  walked  up  the  shore  toward  a  tall  plant  that 
bore  flowers,  (a  mullen  stalk).  He  stood  viewing  it  for  a 
few  moments  and  then  turning  to  follow  his  guide  found 
that  he  had  disappeared.  He  ran  to  the  water  to  find  the 
canoe  but  to  his  dismay  found  that  it,  too,  had  gone.  Glanc- 
ing up  and  over  the  lake  he  saw  far  in  the  distance  the  canoe 
and  the  stranger,  and  then  he  realized  his  situation. 

Heavy  hearted  he  dragged  himself  halfway  around  the 
island  and  then  walking  inland  for  a  few  rods  sat  down  de- 
jectedly on  a  fallen  tree.  Tears  filled  his  eyes  and  he 
moaned  bitterly,  "I  am  a  miserable  creature." 

While  he  thus  sat  lamenting  his  fate  he  heard  a  loud 
whisper,  "Kechuta,  kechuta !" 

Starting  up  he  looked  around  to  discover  the  source  of 
the  sound  but  failing,  sank  back  to  his  seat  with  a  groan 
of  pure  misery. 

Presently  he  heard  the  same  sound,  "Kechuta !" 

It  seemed  to  issue  from  the  ground  at  his  very  feet. 
This  time  he  was  thoroughly  frightened,  and  again  he 
looked  about  to  discover,  perchance,  who  the  speaker  was, 
but  as  before  he  failed  and  flinging  himself  upon  the  log 
began  to  weep  violently. 

"Kechuta!"  came  the  sound  again  and  looking  down  at 
the  ground  at  the  end  of  the  log  he  noticed  a  white  glistening 
spot.  Poking  away  the  sod  he  saw  first  the  hollow  eye 
socket  of  a  skull  and  then  jaws  full  of  white  teeth. 

"Kechuta !"  said  the  skull  and  then  Ganondai'yeo  knew 


ISLAND  OF  THE  CANNIBAL 


271 


that  the  thing  wished  to  smoke.  "Dig  into  the  sod  by  that 
knot  on  the  log  and  you  will  find  my  bag  and  pipe,"  so  spoke 
the  man-reduced-to-bones. 

Marveling,  the  boy  obeyed  and  soon  pulled  out  a  decayed 
pipe  bag  and  a  tobacco  pouch.  He  packed  the  pipe  bowl  full 
of  tobacco.  Then  picking  up  a  hard  round  stick,  the  size 
of  an  arrow  shaft  he  twisted  it  in  his  bow  string,  placed  a 
pitted  stone  on  one  end  and  put  the  other  end  on  the  log. 
Pushing  his  bow  backward  and  forward  he  twirled  the  stick 
with  great  rapidity.  Soon  a  tiny  spark  ignited  the  wood 
dust  and  caught  in  a  blaze  on  the  shredded  cedar  bark.  It 
was  a  laborious  task  but  Ganondai'yeo  at  length  had  the  pipe 
in  smoking  order.  Leaning  over  he  pried  apart  the  jaws 
of  Tcis'ga,  as  he  had  named  the  skeleton,  and  pushed  the 
pipe  stem  between  its  teetch.  Tcis'ga  smoked  with  great  dili- 
gence and  exclaimed,  "Agwas'wio',  oh  how  good,  how  I 
enjoy  it.  I've  not  had  a  smoke  in  a  great  while.  Oh  I  am 
glad  you  came  to  me !  Now  let  me  tell  you  a  story,  but  first 
fill  up  this  pipe  again.  There.  Now,  boy,  this  is  an  en- 
chanted island.  You  are  trapped,  the  same  as  I  was  and  the 
same  as  many  more  have  been.  There  is  a  man  who  lives 
here,  there  is  a  man  who  visits  here  and  there  is  a  man  who 
hires  men  here.  He  who  lives  here  is  S'agowenot"a,  a  great 
sorcerer,  he  who  visits  here  is  Ongwe  las,  an  evil  ogre.  Both 
eat  men.  They  ate  me,  they  ate  many  others ;  they  will  eat 
you  unless  you  listen  closely.  Before  sunrise  tomorrow,  run 
to  the  beach  where  you  landed  and  bury  yourself  in  the  sand 
only  leaving  one  eye  and  an  ear  uncovered.  Look  and  listen. 
No  one  has  ever  escaped;  but  you  may  if  you  obey  me,  and 
moreover  you  overcome  the  island's  evil  spell." 

The  boy  solemnly  promised  obedience  and  after  a  rest- 
less night  ran  to  the  beach  and  buried  himself  in  the  sand. 
Soon  he  heard  the  sound  of  singing  on  the  water.  The  song 
grew  louder  and  Ganondai'yeo  knew  that  the  singer  was 
nearing  the  beach.  He  heard  the  sound  of  the  canoe  as  it 
shot  up  against  the  sand  and  knew  that  the  singer  had  land- 


272 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


ed.  He  listened  closely  to  the  song  and  then  hummed  it  soft- 
ly to  himself.  The  sound  of  footsteps  neared  and  turning  his 
eye  he  saw  a  man  whose  grim  visage  pronounced  him  a 
man  of  terrible  passion.  Ganondai'yeo  looked  as  well  as  he 
could  from  his  hole  in  the  sand  and  knew  that  was  Ohgwe 
las.  At  the  feet  of  the  ogre  was  a  pack  of  dogs  who 
followed  him  up  the  incline. 

As  Ohgwe  las  stepped  upon  the  island  Sagowanota  sang 
his  magical  song  from  his  den  in  the  grove. 

When  Ohgwe  las  reached  the  top  of  the  incline  he 
roared,  "Well,  where  is  my  meal?" 

"He  cannot  be  found,"  came  the  answer.  "Put  your 
eyes  in  the  bushes, — send  the  dogs  after  him,"  roared 
Ohgwe  las. 

The  search  was  fruitless  and  grumbling  in  rage  the  man 
returned  to  his  canoe,  threw  in  his  dogs  and  jumping  in, 
swept  his  paddle  through  the  water  and  sped  back  to  main- 
land. 

Ganondai'yeo  jumped  from  his  place  of  concealment  and 
rushed  to  the  log  where  Tcis'ga  lay.  Breathlessly  he  told 
what  he  had  seen  and  heard  and  told  how  thankful  he  was 
that  he  had  escaped  being  eaten. 

"Smoke,  tobacco,  I  wish  to  smoke,"  whispered  Tcis'ga, 
dustily.  So  taking  an  ember  from  the  fire  he  had  started 
Ganondai'yeo  lit  the  pipe  and  shoved  it  between  the  teeth  of 
the  skull.  When  it  had  finished  smoking  it  said,  "I  am  glad 
that  you  have  succeeded  so  well.  It  is  an  omen  of  good 
fortune.  Now  listen.  Make  seven  dolls  from  dry  rotten 
wood  and  make  a  small  bow  and  arrow  for  each,  then,  place 
each  doll  in  the  top  of  a  tree.  Conceal  yourself  in  the  sand 
again  and  see  what  will  happen. 

Ganondai'yeo  did  as  directed  and  the  next  day  when 
Ohgwe  las  landed  he  grumbled  loudly  and  vowed  he  would 
find  the  boy  for  he  was  very  hungry.  He  strode  up  the 
beach  and  his  dogs  with  noses  close  to  the  ground  followed 
the  track  of  Ganondai'yeo  as  it  circled  the  isle.  Suddenly  one 


FIGURE  OF  DANCING  WARRIOR 
This  figure  carved  from  wood  was  used  in  shamanistic  ceremonies. 


274 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


dog  with  a  yelp  fell  pierced  with  an  arrow.  Ohgwe  las 
yelled  in  rage  and  his  rage  increased  as  one  after  another 
fell  dead.  Snatching  up  the  body  of  each  he  threw  it  upon 
his  shoulder  and  going  back  flung  it  into  his  canoe,  and  then 
paddled  back  across  the  lake. 

Leaping  from  the  sand  Ganondai'yeo  ran  back  to  Tcis'ga 
and  related  his  observations. 

After  Tcis'ga  had  been  satisfied  with  tobacco  he  said  to 
Ganondai'yeo : 

"Now  I  will  tell  you  more.  Ohgwe  las,  always  fearing 
death,  leaves  his  heart  in  his  lodge.  It  hangs  suspended 
over  a  pot  of  water;  likewise  the  hearts  of  the  dogs.  When 
he  returns  he  will  place  the  dogs'  hearts  back  within  their 
chests  and  as  they  beat  the  dogs  will  revive.  He  will  then 
remove  them  and  return  to  the  island  on  the  morrow  to  re- 
new his  search  for  you.  Now  listen  closely.  Bury  yourself 
in  the  sand  as  before  and  as  Ongwe  las  approaches  the 
shore  sing  the  Sagowenota  song.  Ongwe  las  will  then  rush 
up  the  shore,  the  dolls  will  shoot  again  and  while  Ongwe  las 
is  obscured  in  the  bushes  jump  into  his  canoe,  go  directly 
across  the  water  and  when  you  touch  the  shore  you  will 
find  a  path  that  leads  to  a  lodge.  Enter  the  lodge  and 
destroy  the  hearts  you  find  there.  Then  you  may  return  to 
me."  ' 

The  next  morning  Ganondai'yeo  covered  himself  with 
sand  and  when  he  heard  the  song  of  Ohgwe  las  floating 
over  the  water  he  shouted  back : 

"I  have  caught  a  rabbit,  rabbit,  rabbit, 
Soon  I'll  skin  it,  skin  it,  skin  it!" 

Ohgwe  las  stopped  short  in  his  song  and  listened.  Then 
he  shouted  back: 

"Ho-yo-ho !    So  you  have  him.    So,  I'll  be  there!" 

From  a  mound  in  the  center  of  the  island  came  a  voice. 
In  pleading  tones  it  cried  : 

"No,  no!  I  did  not  call  you.  Do  not  come.  Oh  do 
not !" 


ISLAND  OF  THE  CANNIBAL 


275 


"Oh  no,"  came  the  mocking  reply.  "You  cannot  cheat 
me.   You  have  found  him  and  wish  to  eat  him  alone." 

Landing,  Ohgwe  las  ran  toward  the  mound.  Ganondai'- 
yeo  jumped  into  the  boat  and  with  his  swiftest,  strongest 
stroke  sent  it  gliding  out  over  the  lake.  At  length  he  reached 
the  land.  Leaping  to  the  shore  he  ran  up  a  path  and  burst 
through  the  curtain  into  a  lodge.  A  young  girl  was  refining 
bear  oil  by  boiling  it  in  a  kettle.  Without  stopping  to  greet 
her  Ganondai'yeo  cried : 

"Give  me  his  heart !" 

"No,  no,  do  not  touch  it.  It  is  his,  it  is  his !"  remon- 
strated the  girl  in  terror. 

There  was  the  sound  of  foot  steps  outside.  Ohgwe  las 
had  followed  in  some  mysterious  manner  and  was  now  at 
the  door.  Springing  toward  the  back  of  the  lodge,  Ganon- 
dai'yeo grasped  a  large  beating  heart.  Ohgwe  las  was  push- 
ing aside  the  curtain  and  now  snarled  in  terrible  rage  as  he 
saw  the  boy  who  should  have  been  his  victim  holding  his 
heart.  With  marvelous  swiftness  Ganondai'yeo  flung  the 
heart  into  the  pot  of  boiling  fat.  The  ogre  tottered.  His 
dogs  began  to  yelp  up  the  trail  and  as  Ganondai'yeo  glanced 
through  the  door  between  the  curtain  and  the  swaying  body 
of  Ohgwe  las,  and  saw  their  dripping  bodies,  red  eyes  and 
froth  laden  fangs  as  they  leaped  toward  their  master, 
Ohgwe  las  trembled,  and  fell.  Ganondai'yeo  swept  the  seven 
dogs'  hearts  into  the  scalding  liquid  only  a  moment  before 
the  ogre  crashed  his  head  into  the  fire,  breaking  the  pot  of 
oil  and  spilling  out  the  hearts.  Ohgwe  las  was  dead  and 
seven  dogs  lay  before  the  door. 

The  girl  who  during  this  terrible  scene  had  cringed  in 
one  corner  now  rushed  toward  Ganondai'yeo  with  a  glad 
cry. 

"Oh  my  brother !"  she  cried.  "You  have  rescued  me.  I 
am  your  sister  who  was  captured.  Ohgwe  las  kept  me  as 
his  slave.    Oh  my  brother,  you  have  saved  our  family !" 

Ganondai'yeo  hardly  knew  what  to  make  of  these  words 

I 


276 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


but  looking  down  at  the  girl  saw  in  her  his  lost  sister,  lost 
years  ago.  He  rejoiced  with  her  and  then  running  back  to 
the  shore  paddled  swiftly  to  the  Isle  of  Fears.  Going  up 
to  the  log  he  appeased  his  friend  Tcis'ga  with  tobacco  and 
told  his  story. 

"Now,"  said  Tcls'ga,  "you  have  done  well.  You  can  be 
of  great  service  to  me  if  you  will  obey  a  few  more  instruc- 
tions ;  for  instance,  shoot  that  fat  bear  over  there  and  place 
her  pelt  over  this  little  mound  where  I  am.  Scold  that 
stump  and  make  it  move  away  so  that  you  may  cover  the 
mound  entirely.   Then  smoke  !" 

Ganondai'yeo  was  startled  as  he  looked  up  and  beheld  an 
enormously  fat  bear  asleep  not  ten  steps  from  him.  Fixing 
an  arrow  he  shot  and  killed  the  beast  and  removed  its  hide. 
Walking  up  to  the  stump  he  shouted : 

"What  is  the  matter  with  you?  Get  out  of  my  way  or 
I  will  smash  you.  Go  on  now  and  with  the  help  of  a  kick 
the  stump  jumped  backward  into  a  clump  of  bushes.  Plac- 
ing the  skin  over  the  mound  Ganondai'yeo  built  a  little  fire 
and  began  to  throw  on  tobacco  to  make  the  smoke  fragrant. 

The  sun  was  hot  and  the  oil  fairly  dripped  from  the 
skin  into  the  ground. 

Ganondai'yeo  became  impatient.  "What  is  the  trouble 
with  you,  Tcis'ga?"  he  called.  Move  lively.  You  are  lazy. 
Hurry  or  I  will  leave.  I  cannot  wait  all  day.  Hurry  or  I 
will  kick  over  this  stump  upon  you." 

There  was  a  slight  movement  beneath  the  bear's  skin. 

"Hurry  now,"  continued  the  boy,  "or  I  will  pull  off  the 
skin,"  and  stooping  down  he  gave  it  a  fling.  As  he  did  so 
from  the  ground  arose  a  company  of  men.  All  were  quar- 
reling. "You  have  my  legs — my  fingers — you  have  my 
hands — you  have  my  feet — my  ribs — my  neck — where  is 
my  backbone — three  ribs  missing — oh  someone  has  my 
whole  body — didn't  have  time — made  us  hurry — too  quick 
— short  notice !"  came  the  mingled  cries  from  the  strange 
swarm. 


ISLAND  OF  THE  CANNIBAL 


277 


Before  Ganondai'yeo  was  as  queer  a  company  of  men  as 
the  sun  has  ever  seen.  Some  had  one  long  leg  and  one  short 
one,  some  were  hump-backed,  some  small-bodied  and  large- 
limbed,  some  had  head  on  backward,  some  had  no  necks, 
some  double  the  wonted  length,  and  soon  each  man  was  a 
sight  to  behold.  All  were  angry,  and  fighting,  disappeared 
into  the  forest,  all  but  one.  It  was  Tcis'ga.  He  stepped 
forward  and  took  Ganondai'yeo  by  the  hand  and  said, 

"I  am  your  brother,  let  us  go  home." 

Hastening  to  the  shore  the  two  seated  themselves  in 
the  canoe  and  paddled  back  to  the  lodge  on  the  opposite 
shore.  A  meal  awaited  them  and  after  eating  it  the  boys 
built  a  great  fire  and  burned  the  evil  lodge. 

That  night  the  three  slept  in  the  open.  The  next  morn- 
ing the  brothers  and  their  sister  tramped  through  the  forest 
and  found  the  old  people  mourning  over  the  loss  of  Ganon- 
dai'yeo. 

The  old  folk  were  exuberant  with  joy  when  they  found 
that  not  only  was  Ganondai'yeo  well  and  alive  but  also  their 
other  grandchildren. 

The  boys  built  a  large  lodge  and  made  the  days  of  the 
old  people  easy  with  soft  beds,  much  meat  and  pleasant 
company. 

Then  the  grandparents  said,  "We  are  old  and  wise  but 
we  know  now  that  which  we  did  not  before :  It  is  evil  to 
forbid  a  boy  of  resource  to  do  or  go  without  a  reason." 

So  here  it  ends,  this  ga-gah,  this  ancient  story. 


34-  THE  TWELVE  BROTHERS  AND  THE  WRAITH 
OF  THE  EVIL  WARRIOR. 

A  Story  of  Shodje'asko11',  a  Mischief  Maker. 

Twelve  brothers  had  planned  a  war  expedition  and  sing- 
ing their  songs  had  started  a  war  dance.  Scarcely  had  they 
begun  when  a  messenger  came  running  towards  them  and 
related  that  Hadi'msgowa',  the  greatest  warrior  of  the 
nation,  was  dying  and  wished  the  twelve  brothers  to  officiate 
at  his  funeral.  In  respect  to  the  man  who  far  and  wide  had 
the  name  of  being  the  most  terrible  and  successful  warrior 
in  all  the  world  the  twelve  brothers  postponed  their  dance 
and  hurried  to  minister  to  the  dying  warrior.  He  desired 
them  to  dress  him,  not  in  the  customary  funeral  robes  but 
in  the  full  regalia  of  battle  with  his  knife  at  his  side  and 
his  tomahawk  in  his  hand.  His  face  he  wished  painted 
black  on  one  side  and  red  on  the  other,  in  token  that  he  was 
the  fiercest  warrior  in  all  the  earth. 

So  when  he  died  the  twelve  brothers  prepared  his  body 
just  as  was  directed  and  doubled  him  up  in  his  shallow 
grave.  When  the  funeral  rites  were  over  the  brothers  re- 
newed their  dance  and  on  the  next  morning  started  off  on 
their  war  expedition  to  the  south. 

Now  in  those  days  the  Iroquois  had  trails  that  led  from 
their  villages  to  all  parts  of  the  world.  At  the  distance  of 
a  day's  journey  on  every  trail  was  built  a  trail  lodge,  where 
travelers  might  find  shelter,  and  so  on  for  many  days'  jour- 
neys were  built  trail  lodges.  At  the  end  of  the  first  day's 
journey  the  twelve  brothers  came  to  the  trail  house  and 
halted  to  prepare  their  evening  meal.  One  of  the  men  shot 
a  deer  and  was  dressing  it  when  the  oldest  brother,  the 
chief  of  the  party,  ordered  the  youngest  to  run  to  the  spring 
after  water.  Grasping  a  bark  bowl  he  obeyed  and  ran  down 
the  path  to  the  spring  and  was  bending  over  the  water  to 
dip,  when  he  saw  reflected  in  the  ruddy  sun-painted  water 

278 


TWELVE  BROTHERS 


279 


the  form  of  a  warrior  whose  face  was  painted  on  one  side 
red  and  on  the  other  black.  He  gazed  at  the  vision  terrified 
by  its  import  and  then  dropping  his  bowl  rushed  up  the  path 
and  stammered  out  his  frightful  discovery.  He  had  seen 
Hadiiusgowa,  the  warrior  whom  they  had  buried  but  the 
morning  of  that  day.  The  chief  looked  at  his  young  brother 
in  amazement  and  then,  dropping  the  deer  ham  that  he  was 
preparing,  burst  out  into  a  loud  derisive  laugh.  "If  you 
are  afraid  of  visions  of  dead  men,"  he  laughed,  "how  can  I 
depend  on  you  when  live  ones  appear?"  But  the  boy  would 
not  be  laughed  out  of  believing  the  evidence  of  his  own  eyes 
and  so  the  second  brother  was  sent  to  the  spring.  When  he 
reached  the  pool  he  looked  across  the  river  and  to  his  inde- 
scribable horror  saw  the  dead  warrior  standing  on  the  oppo- 
site bank,  his  face  wrinkled  into  a  fiendish  grin.  Back  to 
the  lodge  he  sped  trembling  from  cheek  to  feet.  A  chorus 
of  laughter  greeted  his  story  and  the  chief  angrily  declared 
that  his  younger  brothers  were  endeavoring  to  frighten  the 
party  by  their  impossible  tales.  Then  the  third  brother  was 
sent  and  soon  returned  and  with  stiffened  lips  said  that  he 
had  seen  the  figure  of  Haddiiusgowa  standing  in  the  middle 
of  the  stream.  The  fourth  brother  saw  him  standing  on  the 
rocks  close  to  the  shore,  and  the  fifth  saw  him  on  the  pebbly 
edge,  and  the  sixth  on  the  river's  bank,  the  seventh  half  way 
to  the  spring,  the  eighth  at  the  spring,  the  ninth  advancing 
toward  the  trail,  the  tenth  on  the  trail,  the  eleventh  half  way 
to  the  trail  lodge,  and  then  the  chief,  who  had  now  ceased 
to  scoff,  when  he  looked  up  saw  Hadiiusgowa  in  the  clearing 
before  the  lodge.  Hastily  he  commanded  that  all  should 
enter  the  lodge,  the  youngest  first  and  the  rest  according  to 
their  ages.  When  all  had  done  so  he  fastened  the  door  and 
lay  down  across  the  door-way.  All  except  the  two  young- 
est suddenly  became  overcome  with  a  stupor  and  fell  into 
a  deep  sleep.  The  two  youngest  lay  awake  and  listened 
to  the  efforts  of  the  ghostly  warrior  to  effect  an  entrance. 
Suddenly  the  door  burst  inward  and  with  a  yell  the  tchisga 


280 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


(ghost)  swooped  down  upon  the  chief  and  scalping  him 
brandished  the  scalp  aloft  and  screeching,  "Gowe !  Gowe ! 
Hadiiusgowa !"  Jumping  into  the  air  he  yelled  a  death 
cry  and  sped  from  sight,  his  cry  growing  fainter  and  fainter 
as  he  went.  Returning  shortly  afterwards  he  scalped  the 
next  brother,  returning  at  an  interval  to  scalp  one  after 
another  of  the  party.  When  the  third  oldest  brother  had 
been  scalped  and  the  tchisga  had  disappeared,  his  death 
cry  echoing  fainter  and  fainter  as  he  sped  further  and 
further,  the  second  youngest  brother  was  overcome  with  a 
lethargy  and  fell  into  a  deep  sleep  from  which  he  never 
awoke,  for  the  tchisga  returned  and  killed  him,  as  he  had 
the  ten  others.  The  youngest  then  began  to  despair  saying 
to  himself,  "I  cannot  escape  even  by  running  nor  can  I 
hide  for  Hadiiusgowa  has  power  to  discover  me  wherever  I 
go,  but  even  a  tchisga  may  be  deceived."  So  saying  he 
placed  some  bloody  deer  meat  on  his  head  and  pulled  his 
bear  skin  cap  tightly  over  his  brow.  Wrapping  his  blanket 
around  his  ears  so  as  to  leave  no  part  of  his  body  exposed 
he  waited  the  coming  of  Hadiiusgowa.  His  skin  at  least 
was  protected  from  the  death  touch  of  the  tchisga  and  per- 
haps he  would  escape.  Soon  the  wraith  came  screaming  into 
the  lodge  crying,  "I  have  slain  eleven  and  now  the  twelfth 
shall  go !"  Grabbing  a  bunch  of  black  hair  that  protruded 
from  a  robe  of  deer  skin  he  haggled  off  a  circular  piece  and 
with  a  demonic  shriek  flew  into  the  air  crying  "Gowe ! 
Gowe !  Hadiiusgowa !" 

The  boy  finding  himself  unhurt  jumped  to  his  feet  with 
the  exclamation,  "I  will  follow  the  tchisga  and  outwit  him 
yet !"   So  he  ran  out  into  the  darkness. 

The  ghost  soon  discovered  his  error  and  the  boy  could 
hear  his  cries  of  rage  in  the  distance.  He  approached  rap- 
idly screaming,  "You  cannot  escape  me,  you  cannot  hide 
from  mel"  Each  yell  stole  the  strength  from  the  muscles 
of  the  frightened  boy  who  soon  sank  in  dispair  to  the 
ground.    The  tchisga  was  coming  and  there  seemed  no 


TWELVE  BROTHERS 


281 


escape.  Feebly  lifting  his  head  the  boy  saw  a  hollow  elm 
log  and  in  a  dazed  way  remembered  that  he  had  heard  of 
hollow  logs.  Mustering  all  his  strength  he  crawled  in  the 
log  and  none  too  soon  for  just  as  he  had  stowed  himself 
within  the  protecting  log  the  ghost  struck  it  with  the  cry, 
"Now  I  have  you !" 

It  is  strange,  but  a  ghost  never  can  enter  the  space  within 
a  hollow  log.  Thus  the  tchisga  cut  a  sharp  stick  which  he 
thrust  in  the  hole  at  one  end  hoping  to  spear  the  boy.  But 
his  victim  was  not  an  easy  one  for  he  caught  the  thrusts 
deftly  and  turned  them  aside.  Finally  realizing  that  he 
could  not  harm  the  boy  in  this  manner  he  yelled,  "I  know 
where  you  sit  and  will  kill  you  yet !"  Then  he  commenced 
to  chop  a  hole  into  the  log  where  he  judged  his  victim  to 
be  but  when  it  had  been  made  the  boy  had  moved  further 
in  and  escaped  the  thrusts  of  the  spear.  Another  hole  was 
made  but  all  the  prodding  that  the  tchisga  made  had  no 
effect  upon  the  elusive  boy.  A  third  trial  had  no  better  re- 
sult and  finally  the  tchisga  screamed,  "The  next  hole  will 
bring  me  success, — I  cannot  fail !"  Then  he  fell  to  whack- 
ing the  log  until  the  raining  blows  sounded  like  the  beating 
of  a  death  drum.  The  hole  was  completed  and  the  dispair- 
ing  boy  found  that  there  were  so  many  openings  that  he 
could  not  hope  to  escape.  The  tchisga  prepared  to  grasp 
his  victim  and  was  on  the  point  of  uttering  a  yell  of  tri- 
umph when  a  little  bird  on  a  branch  above  began  to  twitter 
and  the  yell  of  victory  turned  to  a  groan  of  dispair.  "Fortu- 
nate for  you,"  he  cried,  "but  woe  to  me !"  Then  he  faded 
into  the  glow  of  the  morning  when  ghosts  cease  their  black 
works. 

The  boy  was  highly  elated  at  his  good  fortune  but  lost 
no  time  in  dancing  over  the  matter.  Instead  he  jumped  to 
his  feet  and  ran  with  all  his  speed  to  the  village  crying  as 
he  went,  "Gowe,  gowe !"  His  shrill  cry  awoke  the  villagers 
who  hastened  to  the  long  house  to  listen  to  the  distress  news 
that  someone  was  bringing.    Dashing  into  the  council  the 


282 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


boy  related  his  story  and  when  he  had  finished  the  village 
sachem  arose  and  said,  "If  this  boy's  tale  is  true  we  are  all 
threatened  with  the  ghostly-warrior.  Now  we  know  why 
arrows  never  killed  him, — he  was  a  wizard.  We  must 
kill  him  before  he  kills  us.  We  must  burn  his  body.  First 
then  let  four  swift  runners  go  to  the  first  day  trail  house 
and  see  if  conditions  are  as  reported  and  in  the  meantime 
we  will  prepare  to  kill  the  ghost."  The  warriors  hurried  to 
obey  instructions  and  after  the  runners  had  departed  a  com- 
pany built  a  little  cabin  from  large  logs  over  the  grave  of 
the  wizard  and  others  gathered  piles  of  logs  for  fuel.  It 
was  toward  sun-set  when  the  runners  returned  and  reported 
that  things  were  just  as  the  youngest  brother  had  told.  The 
grave  was  then  dug  into  and  a  foot  below  the  surface  a 
sharpened  pole  was  discovered  and  to  it  were  fastened 
eleven  scalps  still  bleeding  and  a  small  circle  of  bear  skin. 
Below  this  was  found  the  body  of  the  witch-warrior  steam- 
ing with  sweat,  his  face  and  hands  slimy  with  blood  and 
his  weapon  still  dripping  red.  The  boy's  words  were  con- 
firmed. A  warrior  lifted  the  terrible  form  from  the  bark 
upon  which  it  rested  and  brought  it  into  the  cabin.  The 
head  sachem  then  addressed  it.  "You  were  a  great  warrior 
in  life,"  he  said,  "and  we  know  that  we  never  appreciated 
you.  We  now  wish  to  make  a  great  ceremony  and  have 
made  a  lodge  for  you  where  all  may  see  you.  So  stay  here 
and  let  us  honor  you."  So  saying  the  chief  backed  out  of 
the  cabin  and  fastened  the  door.  Heavy  logs  were  piled 
over  the  structure  and  then  a  fire  ignited  that  soon  envel- 
oped the  whole  mass.  The  flames  soon  ate  their  way  into 
the  burial  lodge  and  filled  it  with  a  mass  of  burning  coals. 
Logs  were  piled  on  higher  and  higher  in  order  that  they 
might  press  down  the  witch  and  give  him  no  chance  to 
escape.  Suddenly  a  voice  from  the  blazing  coals  sounded 
forth.  With  one  long  drawn  wild  scream  it  said,  "I  will 
kill  you  all,  I  am  escaping  despite  you."  But  a  log  falling 
pinned  down  the  wizard  who  fell  into  his  grave  pit  now 


TWELVE  BROTHERS 


283 


white  with  heat.  His  head  burst  and  when  the  steam  was 
cleared  away  a  screech  owl  was  seen  flying  up  from  it.  The 
warriors  made  a  frantic  effort  to  kill  it  but  the  intense  heat 
prevented  them  and  so  it  soared  away  into  the  night  scream- 
ing defiance  at  its  pursuers. 

In  this  manner  was  the  wizard-warrior  killed  but  his 
spirit  still  hovers  over  the  land  and  wherever  the  screech 
owl  lingers  there  is  the  evil  spirit  brooding  mischief. 


GENERAL  NOTES. — In  this  legend  we  have  several  interesting 
ethnological  allusions.  We  are  told  of  "trail  houses,"  which  were 
erected  at  intervals  along  the  trails  throughout  the  Iroquois  country, 
and  in  which  food  and  other  necessities  were  left  by  travelers  who  had 
used  the  shelter.  Inquiry  brought  out  the  fact  that  these  public 
hospices  were  common  in  the  old  days  and  were  frequently  built  in 
response  to  dreams.  We  are  also  given  a  glimpse  of  the  burial  rites 
of  warriors,  and  told  that  the  corpse  was  properly  painted  and  then 
doubled  up  in  its  grave.  We  are  again  given  an  account  of  the  magical 
qualities  of  a  hollow  log,  which  a  ghost  cannot  enter.  Here,  also,  we 
are  told  that  a  wizard's  head  when  burned  bursts  and  sends  forth 
screech-owls, — birds  of  ill  omen  to  the  red  man  as  to  us  of  today. 


35-    THE  CANNIBAL  AND  HIS  NEPHEW. 


De'o'niot  was  Ongwe  las,  a  man  eater.  He  had  devel- 
oped his  man-flesh  appetite  early  in  his  childhood  because 
his  mother  had  associated  with  witches.  He  lived  in  a 
hidden  place  far  away  from  other  human  habitations.  The 
only  human  creature  who  came  near  him  and  was  not  eaten 
was  his  nephew  who  lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  partition 
that  divided  his  long  bark  house.  The  cannibal  was  fond  of 
his  nephew  and  did  not  wish  to  come  into  close  contact  with 
him,  lest  his  appetite  for  flesh  become  too  strong  a  tempta- 
tion and  leave  him  without  a  companion.  Thus  it  was  he 
divided  his  house  and  satisfied  himself  with  the  sound  of 
the  youth's  voice,  for  each  hunted  their  game  separately 
and  rarely  saw  each  other. 

One  day  as  the  nephew  was  sitting  on  his  doorstep,  he 
saw  a  beautiful  woman  approaching.  She  advanced  and 
sat  down  by  his  side. 

"I  would  like  to  marry  you,"  she  said  after  a  moment's 
pause. 

"I  would  like  to  marry  you  also,"  was  the  answer,  and 
then  he  added,  "but  you  would  not  be  my  wife  long  because 
my  uncle  would  eat  you." 

"Oh  then  you  had  better  watch  that  he  does  not  eat 
you.  If  he  does  not  I  am  satisfied  he  will  not  take  me," 
replied  the  woman. 

"Well,  if  you  are  determined  after  what  I  have  told  you, 
I  cannot  say  further  but  take  you."  Leading  her  into  the 
lodge  he  continued,  "My  uncle  will  call  from  his  room  for 
someone  to  bring  him  my  bow  or  axe  with  which  to  slay 
some  animal.  Do  not  answer  him  but  keep  very  silent  and 
do  not  venture  from  the  lodge  to  satisfy  his  wants.  Obey 
my  instructions  for  I  am  going  on  a  hunting  journey." 

Empty  handed  and  hungry  De'o'niot  returned  from  his 
hunting  excursion.   Going  into  his  apartment  he  flung  him- 

284 


CANNIBAL  AND  HIS  NEPHEW 


285 


self  upon  the  floor  to  rest,  then  starting  up,  he  called, 
"Hurry,  bring  me  my  hatchet,  Oh  quick,  I  need  it  immedi- 
ately to  kill  this  beast !" 

Forgetting  all  that  her  husband  had  told  her  the  bride 
picked  up  a  hatchet  and  a  bow  and  ran  around  the  lodge  to 
the  opposite  door. 

When  the  nephew  returned  he  found  his  wife  missing. 
The  only  trace  of  her  was  her  skirt  that  lay  on  the  floor. 

"Ho !"  he  exclaimed,  "De'o'niot  has  feasted  on  my  wo- 
man and  thrown  her  skirt  to  me  as  a  reminder."  Then  call- 
ing to  his  uncle  he  asked,  "Oh  uncle,  how  did  you  discover 
my  woman?" 

'Because  I  knew  that  it  was  not  your  breathing  but  a 
breath  much  faster  that  I  heard  over  the  partition,"  was 
the  reply. 

The  next  day  another  woman  came  with  a  proposal  of 
marriage.  At  first  refusing  her,  and  then  accepting  her  on 
the  condition  that  she  would  quietly  remain  in  his  room 
and  heed  not  the  entreaties  of  De'o'niot,  he  married  her, 
but  when  he  returned  from  his  hunting,  she,  like  the  first, 
had  formed  the  repast  of  his  uncle,  who  as  before  flung 
her  dress  over  the  partition.  In  like  manner  another  wife 
came  and  was  eaten. 

Finally  a  married  woman  came  weeping  through  the 
woods  and  begged  De'o'niot  to  protect  her. 

'Protect  you !"  the  man-eater  roared,  "O  ho !  I  would 
be  more  apt  to  eat  you.  That  is  my  business, — eating 
people !" 

"Oh  protect  me !"  pleaded  the  woman,  "for  my  husband 
is  a  ferocious  giant  and  is  now  pursuing  me !" 

"So  truly  if  that  is  the  case  you  had  better  go  into  my 
nephew's  room  where  I  cannot  reach  you  and  stay  there 
while  I  watch  for  that  man  of  yours." 

Presently  in  the  distance  De'o'niot  saw  a  giant  striding 
through  the  underbrush. 

"Ho,  ho!"  he  exclaimed  to  himself,  "That  woman  is  the 


286 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


first  one  I  ever  saw  and  liked,  so  I  am  truly  glad  to  do  her 
a  service  in  destroying  her  man-giant." 

With  a  whoop  the  giant  pounced  upon  De'o'niot.  "Where 
is  my  wife?"  he  bellowed. 

De'o'niot  did  not  answer  but  grasped  the  giant's  throat 
and  after  a  frightful  struggle  twisted  his  neck. 

"I  am  greatly  obliged  to  you,"  he  called  to  the  woman. 
"Such  an  amount  of  flesh  will  keep  me  from  hunger  for 
many  days." 

When  the  nephew  returned  he  found  the  new  wife  await- 
ing him  and  after  some  questioning  he  accepted  her. 

"That  is  right !"  called  the  uncle  over  the  partition,  "don't 
worry,  she  is  a  good  woman.   I  will  not  eat  her." 

'Wife,"  he  said,  "I  believe  that  we  must  depart  from 
these  regions  for  I  fear  that  my  uncle  will  become  so  hungry 
that  he  will  forget  his  love  for  us." 

Soon  afterward  the  uncle  from  his  chamber  shouted : 

"Oh  my  children,  do  not  leave.  You  fear  my  appetite 
but  I  promise  you  that  I  will  never  harm  you." 

The  nephew  (however),  would  not  believe  these  prom- 
ises, but  thought  his  uncle  only  shaming.  In  order  to  dis- 
cuss the  matter  further  he  awoke  his  wife  in  the  middle  of 
the  night  and  in  whispers  talked  with  her,  how  best  to 
escape. 

'Boy,  you  are  going  away  tomorrow !"  exclaimed  a  voice 
from  over  the  partition. 

"No,  no,  uncle,"  answered  the  nephew.  "Go  to  sleep 
and  do  not  dream  such  things." 

"Ah,  you  cannot  deceive  De'o'niot,"  replied  the  uncle.  "I 
know  you  are  going  away  tomorrow  and  when  you  go,  go 
west,  for  you  have  relatives  there.  If  ever  danger  threat- 
ens call  my  name  and  I  will  be  on  hand  to  save  you.  Dis- 
tance does  not  stop  my  promise.  Call  me  anywhere  and  I 
will  come." 

At  dawn  the  next  day  the  couple  drank  from  the  spring 
that  filled  a  basin  on  one  side  of  the  room  and  ran  out  of 


CANNIBAL  AND  HIS  NEPHEW 


287 


the  other.  Then,  packing  up  a  bundle  of  food,  they  turned 
their  backs  on  the  morning  and  journeyed  to  the  west. 

At  nightfall  they  saw  in  the  distance  a  stream  of  water 
that  reflected  the  light  of  the  moon  in  a  most  peculiar  way, 
and  coming  up  to  it  they  found  that  its  strange  gleam 
resulted  from  its  frozen  surface.  The  creek  did  not  appear 
wide  and  the  couple  decided  that  it  could  be  jumped  easily. 
Running  back  a  short  distance  each  dashed  forward  and 
attempted  to  leap  across,  but  great  was  their  surprise  and 
chagrin  when  they  landed  on  the  ice  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  and  greater  was  their  dismay  when  they  began  to 
slide  forward.  The  creek  ran  down  a  steep  incline  and  with 
great  rapidity  the  two  slipped  downward  over  its  surface 
into  the  uncertain  light.  In  a  moment,  however,  they  saw 
that  they  were  headed  directly  for  a  great  lodge  into  which 
the  stream  flowed.  In  desperation  they  clutched  at  the  ice 
and  endeavored  to  hold  back  but  vain  was  their  effort,  and 
in  a  few  moments  they  had  plunged  into  the  lodge  and  into 
the  midst  of  a  dozen  howling  warriors  armed  with  war 
clubs. 

Surrounding  them,  the  warriors  began  to  brandish  their 
clubs.  Death  seemed  certain.  The  couple  trembled  and 
believed  that  death  has  surely  come.  Suddenly  the  wife 
started  boldly  up  and  shouted : 

"De'o'niot,  hagesa !"  she  cried. 

The  warriors  fell  back  with  cries  of  dismay  at  the  sound 
of  the  magical  name. 

In  the  distance  came  a  signal  call,  then  came  a  song. 
It  was  the  battle  song  of  De'o'niot.  The  warriors  huddled 
in  the  corners  of  the  lodge  quaking  with  fear.  The  words 
of  the  song  became  distinct  as  De'o'niot  drew  nearer. 

The  couple  looked  out  and  saw  the  man-eater  sliding 
down  the  incline  holding  in  his  arms  a  kettle,  a  bowl  and 
a  spoon. 

"I  will  stay  here  with  my  meat,"  he  shouted  as  he  burst 
into  the  lodge.    "You  had  better  go  on  to  the  village.  Your 


288 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


parents  and  people  are  there.  Now  leave  me  here  and  go 
on." 

The  two  gladly  hurried  from  the  house  and  toward 
morning  came  to  a  village  when  both  found  friends  and 
relatives. 

After  the  nephew  and  his  wife  had  lived  in  their  new 
home  for  a  year,  one  by  one  the  children  of  the  settlement 
began  mysteriously  to  disappear. 

"My  uncle  surely  must  be  in  this  vicinity,"  reflected  the 
nephew,  "I  will  go  on  a  hunt  for  him." 

So  the  nephew  started  out  and  after  a  time  of  journeying 
saw  De'o'niot  leaning  over  the  bank  of  a  creek  groaning  in 
agony. 

"Oh  uncle !"  exclaimed  the  nephew,  "what  troubles 
you  ?" 

"Oh  nephew,"  came  the  groaning  reply,  "I  have  eaten 
many  children  and  am  very  sick.  My  belly  is  hurt  with 
pain  as  if  by  claws  clutching  inside." 

"Cheer  up  uncle,  I  can  cure  you.  Only  obey  my  in- 
structions." 

The  nephew  made  a  soup  of  fish  bones  and  skins  and 
fed  it  to  his  uncle.  He  continued  this  treatment  for  three 
days,  until  De'o'niot  had  disgorged.  By  this  time  he  was 
ravenous  and  begged  for  food  and  new  clothing,  for  his  old 
rags  were  very  foul.  The  nephew  bade  him  strip  and  plunge 
in  the  water  and  bathe  himself.  Then,  after  giving  him  some 
new  clothing  he  fed  him  on  a  little  corn  pudding,  gradually 
increasing  the  allowance  at  each  meal  and  each  time  moving 
the  camp  nearer  the  village. 

"You  must  now  learn  to  cook,  uncle,"  said  the  nephew, 
"then  you  will  forget  your  unnatural  appetite.  God  made 
men  above  all  creatures,  uncle,  and  gave  them  great  skill. 
Men  are  not  made  to  devour  one  another,  or  for  beasts  to 
devour,  but  beasts  are  food  for  men.  So  now,  promise 
never  to  touch  the  meat  of  mankind  again." 

"Aye,  never  more  will  I  eat  of  human  flesh  or  the  raw 


CANNIBAL  AND  HIS  NEPHEW 


289 


flesh  of  any  creature  but  only  fruits  and  roots  and  cooked 
meat !" 

So  the  nephew  brought  him  into  the  village  and  intro- 
duced him  as  his  uncle  from  afar.  And  the  uncle  grew  so 
fond  of  this  nephew's  wife's  cooking  that  he  married  a 
woman  to  have  a  cook  for  himself. 


36.    A  YOUTH'S  DOUBLE  ABUSES  HIS  SISTER. 


There  was  a  lodge  in  the  forest  where  very  few  people 
ever  came,  and  there  dwelt  a  young  man  and  his  sister.  The 
youth  was  unlike  other  persons  for  one  half  of  his  head  had 
hair  of  a  reddish  cast,  while  the  other  side  was  black. 

He  used  to  leave  his  sister  in  the  lodge  and  go  away  on 
long  hunting  trips.  On  one  occasion  the  young  woman, 
his  sister,  saw,  so  she  thought,  her  brother  coming  down 
the  path  to  the  lodge.  "I  thought  you  just  went  away  to 
hunt,"  said  the  sister.  "Oh,  I  thought  I  would  come  back," 
said  he. 

Then  he  sat  down  on  the  bed  with  the  sister  and  em- 
braced her  and  acted  as  a  lover.  The  sister  reproached 
him  and  said  that  she  was  very  angry.  But  again  he  en- 
deavored to  fondle  her  in  a  familiar  way,  but  again  was 
repulsed.    This  time  he  went  away. 

The  next  day  the  brother  returned  and  found  his  sister 
very  angry.  She  would  scarcely  speak  to  him,  though  hith- 
erto she  had  talked  a  great  deal. 

"My  sister,"  said  he.  "I  am  at  loss  to  know  why  you 
treat  me  thus.    It  is  not  your  custom." 

"Oh  you  ought  to  know  that  you  have  abused  me,"  said 
the  girl. 

"I  never  abused  you.  What  are  you  talking  about?" 
he  said. 

"Oh  you  know  that  you  embraced  me  in  an  improper 
way  yesterday,"  said  the  sister. 

"I  was  not  here  yesterday,"  asserted  the  youth.  "I  be- 
lieve that  my  friend  who  resembles  me  in  every  respect  has 
been  here." 

"You  have  given  a  poor  excuse,"  replied  his  sister.  "I 
hope  your  actions  will  not  continue." 

Soon  the  brother  went  away  again,  stating  that  he  would 
be  absent  three  days.    In  a  short  time  the  sister  saw,  as  she 

290 


YOUTH'S  DOUBLE 


291 


thought,  a  figure  looking  like  her  brother  skulking  in  the 
underbrush.  His  shirt  and  leggings  were  the  same  as  her 
brother's  and  his  hair  was  the  same.  So  then  she  knew 
that  her  brother  had  returned  for  mischief.  Soon  he  entered 
the  lodge  and  embraced  her,  and  this  time  in  anger  she  tore 
his  cheeks  with  her  nails  and  sent  him  away. 

In  three  days  the  brother  returned  with  a  deer,  but  his 
sister  would  not  speak  to  him.  Said  he,  "My  sister,  I  per- 
ceive that  you  are  angry  at  me.   Has  my  friend  been  here?" 

It  was  some  time  before  the  sister  replied,  and  then  she 
wept,  saying,  "My  brother,  you  have  abused  me  and  I 
scratched  your  face.  I  perceive  that  it  is  still  torn  by  my 
finger  nails." 

"Oh,  my  face,"  laughed  the  brother.  "My  face  was 
torn  by  thorns  as  I  hunted  deer.  If  you  scratched  my  friend 
that  is  the  reason  I  am  scratched.  Whatever  happens  to 
either  one  of  us  happens  to  the  other."  But  the  sister  would 
not  believe  this. 

Again  the  brother  went  on  a  hunting  trip,  and  again  the 
familiar  figure  returned.  This  time  the  sister  tore  his  hunt- 
ing shirt  from  the  throat  down  to  the  waist  line.  Moreover 
she  threw  a  ladle  of  hot  bear  grease  on  the  shirt.  This 
caused  his  quick  departure. 

Returning  in  due  time  the  brother  brought  in  his  game 
and  threw  it  down.  Again  the  sister  was  angry  and  finally 
accused  him.  Pointing  to  his  grease-smeared  torn  shirt 
she  said  that  this  was  evidence  enough. 

"Oh  my  sister,"  explained  the  brother.  "I  tore  my  shirt 
on  a  broken  limb  as  I  climbed  a  tree  after  a  raccoon.  In 
making  soup  from  bear  meat  I  spilled  it  on  my  shirt."  Still 
the  sister  refused  to  believe  him. 

"Oh  my  sister,"  said  the  brother,  in  distressed  tones.  "I 
am  greatly  saddened  to  think  you  will  not  believe  me.  My 
friend  looks  exactly  as  I  do,  and  whatever  happens  to  him 
happens  to  me.  I  shall  now  be  compelled  to  find  my  friend 
and  bring  him  to  you  and  when  I  do  I  shall  be  compelled 


292 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


to  kill  him  before  you  for  his  evil  designs  upon  you.  If 
you  would  believe  me  nothing  evil  would  befall  us,  but  I 
now  think  I  myself  shall  die." 

The  sister  said  nothing  for  she  would  not  believe  her 
brother. 

The  brother  now  began  to  pile  up  dried  meat  and  to 
repair  the  lodge.  He  then  went  out  into  the  forest  without 
his  bow  and  arrows,  and  in  a  short  time  returned  with 
another  man  exactly  resembling  him,  and  whose  clothing 
was  spotted  and  torn  in  a  similar  way.  Leading  him  to  the 
lodge  fire  he  began  to  scold  him  in  an  angry  manner.  "You 
have  betrayed  me  and  abused  my  sister,"  he  said.  "Now 
is  the  time  for  you  to  die."  Taking  out  an  arrow  from  a 
quiver  he  cast  it  into  the  heart  of  his  double  and  killed  him. 
The  sister  saw  her  assailant  fall  to  the  floor,  and  then  looked 
up  as  she  heard  her  brother  give  a  war  cry  and  fall  as  dead 
with  blood  streaming  from  a  wound  in  his  chest  over  his 
heart. 


37.    MURDERED  DOUBLE  SPEAKS  THROUGH 

FIRE. 


(Second  Part  of  a  Youth's  Double.) 

After  lying  as  dead  for  a  time  the  youth's  inherent  magic 
began  to  bring  about  a  restoration  of  life.  Soon  he  sat 
up  and  looked  at  his  sister.   Then  he  spoke. 

"Oh  my  sister,"  he  said.  "The  mother  of  my  friend 
will  shortly  come  for  him,  believing  him  married  to  you. 
We  must  dispose  of  my  friend's  body  and  when  the  woman 
comes  we  must  act  as  if  we  were  husband  and  wife." 

The  youth  now  removed  the  stones  of  the  fireplace  and 
dug  a  deep  hole  beneath.  In  this  he  buried  the  body  of  his 
slain  friend,  smoothed  the  earth  and  restored  the  ring  of 
stones.  He  now  rekindled  the  fire,  and  all  trace  of  the  mur- 
der was  wiped  away. 

After  a  while  footsteps  were  heard  and  the  door  was 
flung  back.  A  witch  woman  looked  into  the  lodge,  and  see- 
ing someone  that  resembled  her  son  standing  closely  to  a 
young  woman,  the  witch  said,  "I  now  perceive  that  I  have 
a  daughter-in  -law." 

Thereupon  the  fire  began  to  flicker  and  a  voice  came 
clearly  from  it,  saying,  "My  friend  has  killed  me,  my  friend 
has  killed  me." 

" Wu' !"  exclaimed  the  witch  mother,  "What  words  is 
your  fire  speaking?" 

"Oh,  my  mother,  pay  no  attention  to  the  fire,"  said  the 
youth.  "The  fire  thus  speaks  because  I  scrape  the  blood 
from  my  arrows  into  it."  So  saying  he  scraped  an  arrow 
into  the  fire  and  it  spoke  as  before,  "My  friend  has  killed 
me." 

The  witch  was  disturbed  and  requested  her  pretended 
son  to  return  to  his  maternal  lodge  bringing  his  wife  with 
him.    The  youth  now  told  his  sister  that  the  simulation  of 

293 


294  SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

married  life  must  be  above  suspicion,  and  then  together 
all  three  went  to  the  lodge  of  the  witch. 

As  they  sat  down  the  pet  owl  of  the  lodge  began  to  hoot. 
"The  stranger  has  taken  to  wife  his  younger  sister."  The 
old  woman  looked  up  and  asked  what  the  meaning  of  this 
omen  might  be,  whereupon  the  youth  answered,  "It  is  be- 
cause you  have  not  fed  the  owl.  I  now  give  it  meat."  The 
owl  was  then  satisfied  and  continued  to  speak  its  accus- 
tomed notes. 

That  night  the  youth  slept  with  his  sister.  As  he  entered 
the  sleeping  apartment  the  owl  screamed  as  before,  "It  is 
not  this  one;  this  one  takes  to  wife  his  younger  sister." 

The  youth  called  out,  "Give  no  heed  to  this  owl,  he  is 
hungry,"  and  he  flung  it  more  meat.  Nevertheless  the  witch 
woman  was  suspicious  and  resolved  to  watch  the  couple. 

During  the  night  she  spied  through  the  curtain  covering 
the  bed,  but  the  boy  and  his  sister  were  simulating  sleep, 
though  arranged  in  an  affectionate  attitude.  The  old  witch 
then  placed  her  hand  in  the  bed  and  under  the  covers,  touch- 
ing the  couple,  and  she  was  then  satisfied  that  the  two  were 
married. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  youth  whispered  to  his  sister 
that  they  must  make  their  escape  or  the  witch  would  dis- 
cover the  truth  and  kill  them.  Together  the  two  went  out 
of  the  lodge  and  the  youth  taking  out  his  medicine  pouch 
thrust  his  hand  into  it  and  took  out  a  small  dog  which  he 
tapped  with  a  red  rod.  The  dog  grew  in  size  with  every  tap 
until  it  was  large  enough  to  carry  a  human  being.  Placing 
his  sister  on  the  dog,  the  youth  said,  "Go  forward  and  let 
nothing  turn  you  aside.  The  dog  will  carry  you  to  the  lodge 
where  is  our  refuge." 

The  dog  ran  forward  but  after  a  long  tedious  journey 
the  sister  dismounted  to  rest,  and  seeing  a  pretty  bird  flut- 
tering just  before  her,  began  to  chase  it.  It  finally  flew  out 
of  sight  and  when  she  returned  to  find  the  dog  it  had  dis- 


MURDERED  DOUBLE  SPEAKS 


295 


appeared.  She  then  remembered  her  brother's  warning  and 
stumbled  forward  hoping  to  find  relief. 

Meanwhile  the  brother  ran  on  to  the  refuge  but  when 
he  reached  the  lodge  he  found  that  his  sister  had  not  come. 
Some  one  was  coming,  however,  for  he  heard  footsteps. 
He  looked  and  saw  the  witch  approaching.  "Where  is  she?" 
cried  the  witch,  "Where  is  my  daughter-in-law?"  The 
youth  was  perplexed,  but  answered,  "She  is  coming,  you 
must  have  passed  them." 

"I  cannot  rest,"  said  the  witch,  "for  your  pet  owls  con- 
tinually say,  Tt  is  another  and  she  is  his  sister.'  " 

The  youth  now  perceived  that  he  must  escape  the  witch 
and  so  he  asked  her  where  she  was  going.  "To  your  lodge," 
she  called  as  she  sped  onward  over  the  trail. 

The  youth  hurried  forward  over  a  shorter  trail  and 
reached  the  lodge  before  the  witch.  "Where  is  my  daugh- 
ter-in-law?" yelled  the  old  woman  as  she  entered  the  lodge. 

"She  has  returned  to  the  other  lodge,"  answered  the 
youth. 

"It  is  another  one,"  sang  the  fireplace,  and  then  added, 
"My  friend  has  killed  me  and  taken  his  younger  sister  to 
wife." 

"I  must  meet  my  wife,"  said  the  youth  as  he  hurried 
away.   He  knew  that  he  must  now  make  his  escape. 

The  witch  was  now  thoroughly  suspicious  and  dug  into 
the  fireplace.  Soon  she  discovered  her  son  and  saw  that 
indeed  he  had  been  killed.  Burying  him  in  another  place 
she  ran  to  her  own  lodge  and  took  her  witch  charms,  invok- 
ing them  to  give  her  power.  To  make  herself  mighty  she 
drank  the  oil  of  hickory  nuts.  To  test  her  power  she  smote 
a  hickory  tree  but  her  blows  only  loosened  all  the  bark. 
Drinking  more  oil  she  struck  the  tree  again,  reducing  it  to 
splinters.  Now  feeling  confident  she  transformed  herself 
into  a  Nia"gwahe  and  started  in  pursuit  of  the  youth,  cry- 
ing, "You  cannot  escape  me." 

When  the  youth  found  himself  closely  pressed  he  threw 


296 


SEXECA  MYTHS  AXD  LEGEXDS 


out  a  handful  of  pigeon  feathers  ordering  them  to  become 
a  monster  flock  of  pigeons  and  to  make  the  ground  beneath 
them  impassible.  Immediately  pigeons  flew  thickly  in  the 
air  and  covered  the  ground  with  an  impassable  slime  in 
which  the  witch  wallowed  until  exhausted,  when  she 
swooned.  When  she  recovered  the  youth  was  far  away 
and  only  a  few  pigeon  feathers  could  be  seen  on  the  ground. 

Again  she  caught  sight  of  him  and  cried  out  as  is  the 
custom  for  the  Xia"gwahe  beast,  "You  cannot  escape  me." 
This  time  the  youth  cast  a  white  stone  in  the  path  and 
commanded  that  it  become  an  impassable  cliff  that  stretched 
from  ocean  to  ocean.  Against  this  the  witch  batted  her 
head  until  she  swooned.  Awakening  she  saw  only  a  small 
quartz  pebble  and  in  anger  arose  again  in  pursuit,  crying  as 
she  caught  up  to  him,  "You  cannot  escape  me." 

The  youth  was  now  sorely  pressed  but  in  running  along 
the  trail  he  saw  an  old  man.  "I  am  your  uncle,"  said  the 
old  man.  "Run  onward  to  your  mother's  lodge,  and  mean- 
while I  will  protect  you."  The  youth  ran  on  and  the  old 
uncle  caused  a  vast  field  of  sharpened  posts  to  spring  up, 
making  a  terrible  barrier  to  the  onrushing  Xia"gwahe. 

The  youth  passed  another  old  man  who  called  out  to 
him,  "I  am  your  uncle.  Run  onward  to  your  mother's  lodge, 
and  meanwhile  I  will  protect  you."  This  was  reassuring,  for 
just  then  the  witch  came  into  view  and  cried.  "You  cannot 
escape  me."  Then  the  witch  monster  ran  directly  into  a 
net-like  entanglement  and  with  wild  rage  floundered  about 
until  it  had  freed  itself. 

Meanwhile  the  youth  was  speeding  forward.  Soon  he 
saw  a  handsome  lodge  before  him  and  into  this  he  ran. 
There  he  found  his  sister  and  the  dog,  an  older  woman,  a 
younger  woman  and  another  youth. 

"Protect  me,"  cried  the  pursued  youth  looking  at  the 
inmates  of  the  lodge.    "Xia"gwahe  pursues  me." 

"I  am  your  mother,  my  son,"  said  the  oldest  woman.  "I 
will  save  you  from  trouble." 


MURDERED  DOUBLE  SPEAK8 


297 


Taking  up  a  pot  of  boiling  bear's  oil  she  waited  until 
the  witch  beast  had  thrust  its  head  into  the  lodge  when 
she  threw  the  oil  full  in  the  creature's  face.  It  gave  a  great 
snort  and  fell  down  dead. 

The  mother  came  up  to  the  youth,  saying,  "Here  is  your 
older  brother  and  older  sister.  Your  younger  sister  and 
your  dog  came  here  and  found  me.  We  are  all  now  safe 
and  are  reunited,  so  now  all  is  well  and  I  am  thankful." 


38.    THE  VAMPIRE  CORPSE.1 

An  old  man  had  a  house  far  back  in  the  woods,  a  long 
ways  from  any  village.  It  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  good 
hunting  ground.  The  old  man  always  welcomed  any  hunt- 
ing party  and  provided  them  with  all  the  utensils  necessary 
for  curing  their  meats  and  tanning  their  pelts.  It  seemed 
however,  that  the  place  was  haunted  by  an  evil  spirit  that 
delighted  to  inflict  those  who  tarried  there  with  very  bad 
dreams,  and  sometimes  it  killed  them  by  sucking  out  their 
blood  like  a  weasel. 

One  time,  so  it  is  said,  a  man  and  his  wife  and  child 
went  to  this  hunting  ground  and  went  to  the  lodge  of  Taiiani 
Gowa,  the  old  man  of  the  solitudes,  to  ask  for  shelter.  Now 
when  he  called  there  was  no  answer  and  so  he  entered  and 
found  Taiiani  Gowa  dead  in  a  bark  coffin.  This  coffin  had 
been  prepared  long  before  and  Taiiani  Gowa  having  a  pre- 
monition of  coming  death  had  crawled  in  his  box  and  died ; 
so  the  man  said. 

Now  it  was  nightfall  and  the  man  lay  down  beside  his 
wife  and  baby  to  pass  the  night.  Toward  the  hour  of  mid- 
night the  woman  was  awakened  by  a  sound  of  gnawing, — 
cautiously  she  looked  about  and  sliding  out  her  hand  on  the 
floor  felt  a  warm  pool  of  blood.  Quickly  she  realized  what 
had  occurred.  The  old  man  was  dead  but  his  evil  spirit 
was  making  him  conform  to  its  vampire  appetite.  It  was 
chewing  off  the  face  of  her  husband.  But  she  did  not 
scream,  instead  she  said  carefully,  "Husband,  our  child 
wishes  water,  you  are  too  sleepy  to  care  for  her  while  I  go 
for  some,  so  I  will  take  her  with  me,  give  her  a  drink  and 
soon  return."  With  these  words  she  arose  and  went  out 
carrying  a  bowl  with  her.  She  ran  to  the  spring,  dropped 
the  bowl  and  then  ran  toward  home  as  fast  as  her  strength 
gave  her  ability   for  running.     "Unless  I  hasten,"  she 


i    Related  by  Edward  Cornplanter,  and  later  by  George  D.  Jimerson. 

298 


VAMPIRE  CORPSE 


299 


thought,  "the  tcis'ga  will  overtake  and  devour  me.  I  heard 
him  go  back  to  his  coffin,  but  his  hunger  will  soon  return 
and  he  will  come  for  us,  and  finding  us  missing,  will  pursue 
us.    Oh  my  baby,  we  must  hurry !" 

An  echo  of  a  loud  cry  sounded  through  the  silent  forest 
and  the  woman  caught  the  words,  "She  has  deceived  me !" 
Then  she  knew  that  the  tcis'ga  had  started  on  her  track. 
She  heard  him  at  the  spring,  so  she  used  all  her  speed  to 
escape  him,  but  presently  she  heard  a  growling  close  behind 
her  and  heard  him  exclaim,  "Ah  you  cannot  escape  me !" 
Unloosening  her  skirt  she  flung  it  on  a  swinging  branch 
and  hurrying  on,  hear  the  tcis'ga  crying,  "Ah  now  I  have 
you !"  Then  he  tore  the  garment  into  shreds  and  found  out 
his  mistake.  So  then  he  ran  screaming  on.  When  he  had 
neared  her  again  she  threw  her  blanket  upon  a  log  and  ran 
on.  The  tcis'ga  stopped  and  whooped  because  he  was  very 
angry.  Then  he  chewed  up  the  blanket  but  finding  no  blood 
rushed  on  after  his  victim,  only  to  be  delayed  again  and 
again  by  the  same  trick.  After  a  time  she  had  stripped  her- 
self and  her  baby  of  all  their  clothing  and  she  was  nearly 
exhausted,  with  the  tcis'ga  close  upon  her ;  then  she  heard 
the  sound  of  drumming  across  a  little  valley  and  crying 
"Gowen<"  she  ran  on.  The  sentinel  outside  the  long  house 
heard  her  cry  and  gathering  a  number  of  warriors  about 
him,  ran  at  full  speed  toward  the  cry  of  distress.  Each 
warrior  bore  a  flaming  torch  the  lights  of  which  confused 
the  pursuing  tcis'ga  and  gave  hope  to  the  woman.  Throw- 
ing their  robes  about  her  the  warriors  carried  her  to  the  long 
house  where  after  reviving  her  from  her  faint,  they  heard 
her  story.  Then  said  the  chief,  "If  her  story  is  true  we  must 
keep  the  lights  burning  and  dance  till  morning  for  the 
tcis'ga  may  return  and  kill  us  all ;  on  the  morrow  we  will 
send  a  party  to  examine  the  lodge  of  Taiiani  Gowa  and  find 
out  what  the  trouble  is."  So  the  dance  continued  all  night 
and  in  the  morning  a  party  headed  by  the  chief  went  to  the 
lodge  of  Taiiani  Gowa  and  found  the  dead  man  in  his  coffin 


300 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


and  the  husband  with  his  face  chewed  clean  to  the  skull. 
Then  the  chief  stepped  to  the  side  of  the  coffin  and  said, 
"We  have  come  to  make  a  great  ceremony.  We  will  bind 
up  your  box  and  then  have  our  ceremony."  The  warriors 
bound  up  the  coffin  with  their  strongest  ropes  and  piled  it 
high  with  brush  and  logs.  Then  a  torch  was  applied  and  the 
coffin  was  surrounded  by  flames.  The  old  man  could  not 
escape  although  he  threatened  terrible  results  for  he  could 
not  pass  outside  of  the  flames.  So  his  head  burst  and  a 
white  rabbit  ran  forth  into  the  underbrush,  eluding  all  the 
arrows  of  the  warriors  and  escaping.  Then  did  the  people 
prove  that  Tiaiiani  Gowa  was  a  wizard  and  discover  the 
form  of  his  evil  spirit.  Likewise  they  knew  why  his  guests 
became  sick.   He  was  a  bad  spirit. 


TALES  OF  TALKING  ANIMALS 


VIII. 


39.    THE  MAN  WHO  EXHALED  FIRE— 
HIS  DOGS  AND  THE  WOLVES' 

Now  this  is  great. 

A  man  had  a  dog  and  was  always  kind  to  it  and  the  dog 
loved  the  man.  Now  this  man  would  smoke  tobacco  after 
he  had  eaten  his  evening  meal.  Smoke  issued  from  his 
mouth  and  sparks  of  fire  flew  from  his  pipe.  The  dog 
noticed  this. 

The  man  was  a  hunter  and  had  large  stores  of  meat  hung 
up  on  poles  and  stored  in  his  lodge.  This  was  fortunate 
for  the  man  because  game  was  now  very  scarce.  The 
wolves  about  were  ravenous.  They  came  from  great  dis- 
tances toward  the  lodge  of  the  hunter  because  they  smelled 
his  meat.  The  hunter's  dog  saw  them  and  asked  them  what 
they  intended  to  do.  They  answered  that  they  were  hungry 
and  intended  to  kill  the  hunter  and  eat  his  meat.  They 
also  advised  the  dog  to  keep  away  for  they  surely  would 
kill  his  brother  (the  man)  and  also  him  if  he  interfered  or 
warned  his  master.  This  worried  the  good  dog  and  he 
thought  some  time  how  he  could  save  his  brother.  So  he 
spoke  and  said,  "You  can  never  kill  my  brother.  He  is  too 
great  a  wizard.  He  has  the  greatest  charms  on  earth.  He 
eats  fire  and  blows  it  from  his  mouth  with  clouds  of  smoke. 
Beware,  I  tell  you, — do  not  attempt  to  injure  him,  for  if 
you  do  he  will  torture  you  in  the  flames.  You  will  be  unable 
to  escape  for  the  smell  of  his  fire  travels  a  great  distance 
and  is  great  magic.  If  you  do  not  believe  me  come  and 
look  after  the  evening  meal  and  see  for  yourselves." 

Then  did  the  wolves  laugh  and  say,  "You  are  somewhat 
of  a  liar  but  we  will  come  and  see." 

The  dog  was  very  angry  then. 


i    Related  by  Edward  Cornplanter,  1905. 

303 


304 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


When  evening  came  the  wolves  gathered  around  the 
hunter's  lodge  and  watched  him  eat  his  meal.  When  he  had 
finished  they  saw  him  take  a  brand  of  flaming  fire  and  put  it 
to  his  face.  Then  he  waved  the  flame  in  front  of  his  face 
and  it  disappeared.  Then  smoke  in  volumes  issued  from 
his  mouth  because  the  fire  must  have  entered  his  stomach 
and  be  burning.  Sparks  flew  in  the  wind  and  they  smelled 
the  smoke  of  the  fire.  They  had  never  seen  such  a  per- 
formance before  and  were  frightened.  So  they  did  not 
dare  attack  the  man  at  night.  They  ran  back  in  the  forest 
and  hid.  The  next  day  the  dog  went  and  found  them.  Then 
the  wolves  said,  "We  can  not  kill  your  brother,  he  is  too 
great  a  conjurer.  His  power  is  too  much  for  us  to  fight. 
We  are  glad  you  told  us." 

Now  this  was  all  right.  The  dog  did  not  tell  his  master 
but  defended  him  with  his  wits.  If  one  is  kind  to  a  dog  he 
will  never  know  how  many  times  the  dog  will  save  him  from 
danger  and  death.    That  is  all. 


4o.    THE  TURTLE'S  WAR  PARTY.1 


Turtles  have  never  done  anything  wonderful  since  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  This  is  what  a  discontented  turtle 
thought.  "Now  it  is  for  me  to  show  myself  a  leader  of 
warriors  and  thus  bring  glory  to  the  turtles." 

Thus  the  turtle  set  about  to  devise  a  song  by  which  he 
should  call  volunteers  together.  After  a  prolonged  study  he 
composed  a  tune  and  chose  the  words  of  a  stirring  war  song, 
crawled  into  his  canoe  and  paddled  down  the  river,  singing 
as  he  went. 

A  wolf  running  along  the  shore  lifted  his  head  and 
pricked  his  ears  as  he  heard  this  odd  song  floating  down 
the  river,  and  listening,  caught  its  import.  When  the  turtle 
came  near  he  began  to  yelp. 

"I  am  a  famous  warrior  and  will  volunteer,"  he  shouted. 

The  turtle  grounded  his  canoe  and  crawled  up  the  bank 
to  inspect  his  would-be  recruit. 

"Well,  what  can  you  do,  wolf?"  said  he. 

"Oh  ho !  I  can  run,"  said  the  wolf  and  then  started  off 
at  a  furious  pace  and  returning  asked  what  impression  he 
had  made. 

"Now  it  seems  to  me,"  answered  the  turtle  as  he  started 
to  turn  around,  "you  would  be  very  apt  to  desert  me  when 
I  most  needed  your  support,  so  I  say  good-bye." 

Going  back  to  his  canoe  he  tumbled  in  and  paddled  down 
the  stream,  once  more  singing. 

A  fox  barked  and  waving  his  brush  signalled  the  sing- 
ing turtle. 

"I  will  be  your  follower  for  I  am  a  cunning  warrior," 
said  the  fox. 

Pushing  the  canoe  ashore  the  turtle  flopped  out  and 
ambled  up  to  the  fox. 

"Now  warrior,"  said  he,  "show  me  your  excellence." 


l    Related  by  Chief  Cornplanter,  1904. 

305 


306 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


The  fox  gave  a  sudden  spring  and  was  out  of  sight  he- 
fore  the  turtle  could  turn  to  look,  then  bounding  back  asked 
if  he  were  not  skillful  indeed. 

"Your  feet  may  be  swift,"  replied  the  turtle,  "but  I  see 
no  signs  of  a  warrior  in  you,"  and  pushing  his  way  over 
the  pebbles  he  reseated  himself  in  his  canoe.  Paddling  out 
into  midstream  he  resumed  his  singing  and  after  some  time 
was  hailed  again.  Landing  he  found  a  new  volunteer  in  the 
form  of  a  skunk. 

"Well  now  what  can  you  do,"  said  the  turtle  looking  at 
the  handsome  creature  before  him. 

Without  moving  from  his  tracks  the  skunk  gave  a  satis- 
factory demonstration  of  his  ability,  to  the  turtle's  great 
delight. 

"Jump  in,  Se'no',  two  brave  fellows  as  we  can  collect  a 
most  formidable  party,"  said  the  turtle,  and  he  changed  the 
words  of  his  song  as  he  paddled. 

A  rattlesnake  next  offered  his  services  and  when  he  had 
shaken  his  rattles  and  shown  his  fangs,  was  accepted. 

"Tumble  in,"  said  the  turtle,  "and  we  will  sing  until 
another  warrior  as  brave  as  we  is  added  to  our  party."  So 
all  sang,  as  they  coursed  down  the  stream. 

The  song  attracted  a  hedgehog,  and  wishing  to  become 
a  warrior  too,  he  shouted  from  the  shore. 

"Well,  what  can  you  do?"  inquired  the  turtle  as  the 
canoe  neared  the  bank. 

"I  can  shoot  my  arrows,"  said  the  hedgehog,  and  mount- 
ing a  stump  shook  himself  until  his  quills  flew  in  all  direc- 
tions. 

"You  are  my  warrior,"  said  the  turtle  as  he  shoved  his 
canoe  to  a  convenient  embarking  point. 

When  the  hedgehog  had  climbed  over  the  side  of  the 
canoe  and  the  war  party  had  paddled  off  from  the  shore, 
the  turtle  swelled  proud  in  his  skill  and  sang  a  mighty  war 
song  defying  all  foes. 

The  party  councilled  together  and  decided  to  make  their 


TURTLE'S  WAR  PARTY 


307 


first  attack  upon  a  human  settlement.  Reaching  a  short 
distance  below  they  secreted  their  canoe  and  crawled  stealth- 
ily through  the  bushes  and  grass  to  a  lodge  not  far  from 
the  river.  It  was  evening  and  the  party  resolved  to  take 
their  positions  of  attack  and  await  the  coming  of  dawn. 
The  skunk  lay  at  the  back  door,  the  hedgehog  at  the  wood 
pile,  the  snake  coiled  in  the  kindling  barrel  and  the  turtle 
hid  beneath  the  rocks  of  the  spring  and  morning  found 
them  ready  to  fight. 

A  woman  pushed  aside  the  curtain  of  the  lodge  door  and 
stepped  out  of  doors.  The  skunk  was  on  the  alert  and  shot 
her  full  at  her  face.  The  woman  with  a  groan  fell  upon 
him  and  beat  his  head  flat  with  her  fists.  Another  woman, 
hearing  the  commotion  rushed  out  and  standing  at  the  wood 
pile  to  watch  her  distressed  sister  received  a  sudden  shock. 
The  hedgehog  ran  between  her  legs  and  filled  them  full  of 
his  sharp  barbed  quills.  With  a  scream  the  woman  dealt 
her  assailant  a  death  blow  with  a  billet  of  wood  and  ran 
screaming  into  the  house.  Soon,  out  came  another  woman 
bearing  a  basket  which  she  set  down  in  the  kindling  barrel 
as  she  paused  to  look  at  the  dead  bodies  of  the  hedgehog 
and  the  skunk.  Through  the  splints  she  saw  the  coils  of  a 
snake.  She  picked  up  a  heavy  stone  and  flung  it  into  the 
barrel  and  killed  the  snake  before  he  had  had  a  chance  to 
strike. 

A  man  now  emerged  from  the  lodge  laughing,  "Ha,  ha ! 
Women  are  always  in  trouble,  Hoh  ho !"  Laughing  at  the 
discomfort  of  his  wife  and  sisters  he  ran  down  the  spring 
path  and  sank  his  clay  kettle  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
spring.  This  was  now  the  turtle's  opportunity  and  with  a 
furious  leap  he  fastened  his  jaws  in  the  man's  leg.  The  man 
endeavored  to  suppress  a  howl  as  he  felt  the  sudden  pain 
and  tried  to  beat  off  his  enemy,  but  the  turtle's  jaw  was  set 
and  his  back  was  armored. 

"Oh  get  off,"  begged  the  man  doing  his  best  to  conceal 
his  suffering,  but  the  turtle  only  bit  deeper. 


308 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Loudly  the  man  cried  and  then  began  to  threaten  to  kill 
the  turtle.  "I  will  drag  you  into  the  fire,"  he  said.  This  so 
frightened  the  turtle  that  he  began  to  waver  with  fear  but 
gathering  up  courage  determined  to  escape  without  crying 
for  quarter,  so  he  said,  "Hurry  then,  put  me  in  the  fire,  it 
is  my  natural  home  and  I  am  lonesome,  hurry  now !" 

The  man  groaned  and  cried  in  desperation,  "The  river 
for  you,  I  will  drown  you !" 

The  turtle  pleaded  most  earnestly  to  be  spared  that  fate 
but  the  man  was  resolute  and  limping  to  the  river  he  thrust 
in  his  leg.  The  turtle  gripped  until  he  bit  through  the  leg 
bone,  then  relaxing  his  jaws,  he  swam  rapidly  under  the 
water  and  crawled  out  in  a  sheltered  spot. 

"Agi' !"  exclaimed  the  man  as  he  crawled  to  his  lodge, 
"I  am  glad  he  is  drowned." 

The  turtle  found  his  canoe  but  was  unable  to  push  it 
back  up  the  stream  against  the  swift  current.  Discouraged, 
he  sank  it  and  swam  back  to  land  where  he  lay  lamenting 
his  failures,  then  he  turned  on  his  back  as  if  dead  and  gave 
himself  up  to  grief.  Grief  gave  place  to  meditation  and  at 
last  he  righted  himself  and  crawled  away  saying: 

"No,  I  am  not  a  great  chief,  but  I  am  a  turtle  and  am 
satisfied,  for  the  glory  of  turtles  is  that  the  earth  and  all 
creation  rests  upon  the  back  of  one.   That  is  good  enough." 


4i.    THE  RACE  OF  THE  TURTLE  AND  THE 
BEAVER. 

There  was  a  turtle  who  lived  in  a  deep  hole  in  a  stream. 
He  lingered  there  and  it  was  a  favorite  spot  for  his  fishing. 
On  the  shore  there  was  a  swampy  place  where  he  hid  him- 
self when  not  in  the  stream. 

One  day  it  grew  very  cold  and  the  turtle  felt  very 
sleepy.  He  looked  about  for  a  soft  spot  in  the  mud  and 
found  one  beneath  some  tall  sheltering  rushes.  "Here  I  will 
sleep,"  said  he.   So  saying  he  slept. 

When  he  opened  his  eyes  there  was  a  vast  expanse  of 
water  over  his  head.  Everything  had  changed  and  all  the 
rushes  had  vanished.  He  threw  off  the  mud  blanket  that 
covered  him  and  ambled  out  on  the  floor  of  his  resting 
place.  "Iik,"  he  exclaimed.  "Something  has  happened. 
Some  magician  has  taken  liberties  with  my  home."  So  say- 
ing he  swam  to  the  surface  of  the  water. 

Instead  of  the  little  stream  with  its  neighboring  swamp 
he  saw  a  big  lake.  As  far  as  he  could  see  there  was  a  lake. 
He  looked  about  and  saw  an  island  in  the  lake  and  to  it  he 
swam.  It  was  covered  with  sticks,  and  when  he  crawled 
upon  it  there  was  a  hollow  sound  within,  which  frightened 
Turtle  and  caused  him  to  slip  quietly  off  and  conceal  him- 
self. 

Soon  he  saw  a  dark  form  emerge  from  the  water  be- 
neath the  island  and  rise  to  the  surface. 

Craftily  Turtle  raised  his  head  and  called.  "Who  are 
you?"   Then  he  submerged  quickly. 

There  was  a  whistling  answer,  a  slap  of  the  water  and 
a  voice  said.   "I  am  Beaver.   Who  are  you?" 

"So  that  is  the  case,"  thought  Turtle.  "So  someone  has 
stolen  my  fishing  place."  He  was  very  angry  and  swam 
to  the  shore  where  he  saw  all  kinds  of  branches  broken  up 
by  cutting. 

309 


310 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Soon  he  heard  someone  say,  "Get  out  of  my  way." 

Turtle  looked  up  and  saw  Beaver  dragging  a  branch. 

"One  would  think,"  answered  Turtle  that  it  should  be 
I  who  said  'get  out  of  my  way'." 

"Well,  what  right  have  you  here?"  asked  Beaver. 

"This  is  my  home,"  said  Turtle.  "I  have  lived  here  a 
long  time." 

"Ho!  ho!  ho!"  laughed  Beaver.  "If  this  is  your  home, 
where  is  your  house?  Now  I  say  this  is  my  home,  for  there 
is  my  house."  He  pointed  to  the  thing  that  Turtle  had 
thought  an  island. 

"How  did  you  get  here?"  asked  Turtle. 

"I  came  here  and  built  a  dam,  made  this  lake,  and  now  I 
have  a  house  here." 

"I  came  here  long  ago,"  said  Turtle  and  built  a  fishing 
hole.  My  abiding  place  is  in  the  swamp.  You,  Oh  Beaver, 
have  no  right  to  spoil  my  home.  It  is  my  intention  to  break 
down  your  dam  and  restore  my  home." 

"Well,"  said  Beaver,  "that  would  not  do  us  any  good  for 
I  would  build  another  and  others  of  my  tribe  would  catch 
you  and  gnaw  your  head  off." 

"How  shall  we  settle  this  thing?"  asked  Turtle. 

"We  will  see  who  can  stay  under  water  longest,"  said 
Turtle. 

"No,  that  would  be  too  easy  for  me,"  said  Beaver.  "I 
could  sleep  a  year  under  water.  I  was  going  to  ask  that  as 
a  test  myself.    I  propose  that  we  run  a  race." 

Turtle  was  vexed,  for  he  did  not  wish  Beaver  to  win, 
and  so  he  did  not  insist  upon  the  under  water  test.  He 
was  also  crafty.    So  he  said : 

"Whoever  wins  the  race  shall  stay  here ;  whoso  loses 
shall  depart.  First  we  shall  have  a  trial  of  racing,  and 
then  the  race  will  begin." 

So  they  both  came  abreast  in  the  water  and  started  to 
swim.    Soon  Turtle  called  Beaver  back.    "Now  we  will 


RACE  OF  TURTLE  AND  BEAVER 


311 


begin  again,"  said  he,  with  a  wicked  gleam  in  his  black  beady- 
eye. 

As  they  were  about  to  start,  Turtle  said,  "I  will  pur- 
posely lag  behind.  When  I  pinch  your  tail  then  we  will 
both  start  swimming." 

Soon  Turtle  bit  Beaver's  tail  and  both  started  swimming, 
but  crafty  Turtle  hung  onto  Beaver  and  was  dragged 
through  the  water  until  within  sight  of  shore,  when  he  bit 
harder  than  ever. 

Beaver  gave  a  big  grunt  and  whistled,  "So  you  are  there 
behind  me?  Well,  I  will  win  yet !" 

Turtle  bit  again,  this  time  harder  than  ever,  making 
Beaver  squeal  with  pain.  "I'll  fix  you  for  this,"  he  called, 
and  flopped  his  tail  over  his  head.  Turtle  hung  on,  and 
when  he  felt  himself  over  Beaver's  head  he  let  go  and  con- 
tinued to  speed  through  the  air  like  a  flying  squirrel.  Far 
upon  the  shore  he  landed,  way  ahead  of  Beaver. 

"I  have  won  this  race,"  he  called  back  defiantly.  "You 
must  go  away  from  here ;  this  is  my  fishing  pond." 

Thereupon,  Beaver  was  greatly  vexed,  and  swam  away 
to  nurse  his  sore  tail.   Turtle  had  outwitted  him. 


42.    THE  WOLF  AND  THE  RACCOON  AND  HOW 
THE  BIRDS  WERE  PAINTED. 


There  was  a  wolf,  T'ha'hyon'ni',  a  friend  of  the  birds. 
He  always  helped  the  birds  and  told  them  where  to  find 
food.  Now  Djoaga',  the  raccoon  disliked  Tah'yoni  and 
when  he  met  him  one  day  he  made  insulting  remarks. 
Tah'yoni'  became  angry  and  snapped  at  Djoaga.  The  rac- 
coon rolled  over  on  his  back  and  with  teeth  and  claws  was 
on  the  defensive.  Tah'yoni'  then  did  not  want  to  fight. 
The  raccoon  did  not  wish  to  fight,  moreover.  So  when  the 
wolf  turned  his  head  Djoaga  ran  up  a  tree  where  he  could 
insult  Tah'yoni'  without  danger.  A  wolf  cannot  climb  a 
tree.  It  was  night  now.  So  the  wolf  sat  beneath  the  tree 
and  quarreled  with  the  raccoon.    He  sang: 

"Djoaga,  Djoaga!  Diotion  so  go  ge  se  da  o! 
Djoaga,  Djoaga!  Diotion  so  go  ge  se  da  o!" 

The  raccoon  replied : 

"Tah'yoni,  Tah'yoni!  Diotion  so  go  ge  se  da  o! 
Tah'yoni,  Tah'yoni!  Diotion  so  go  ge  se  da  o!" 

So  back  and  forth  they  sang  alternately  all  night. 
Towards  morning  the  raccoon  discovered  that  his  enemy 
below  was  strangely  silent.  He  did  not  respond  to  his  in- 
sults, neither  did  he  sing  his  threats.  So  Djoaga  sang  again 
and  listening  heard  no  response.  "He  is  asleep,"  he  thought. 
"I  will  climb  down  and  see."  Djoaga  descended  cautiously 
and  looked  at  the  wolf.  True  he  was  asleep.  "Now  I  have 
you  to  advantage,"  said  Djoaga  softly.  Then  he  squatted 
his  haunches  and  covered  Tah'yoni's  eyes  with  pitch  and 
clay.  When  he  had  done  this  he  ran  off  thinking  that  he 
had  done  a  great  trick.  Then  he  laughed.  "Tah'yoni'  went 
to  sleep,"  he  chuckled.  "It  is  better  not  to  sleep  if  you 
wish  to  get  the  best  of  a  fight."  After  that  he  ran  off  into 
the  woods  to  relate  his  joke. 

Now  then  the  wolf  was  very  tired  and  did  not  awaken 
until  noon.    It  was  dark  to  him  and  he  could  not  open  his 

312 


WOLF  AND  RACCOON 


313 


eyes.  There  seemed  to  be  a  dried  plaster  sealing  them  over. 
This  frightened  Tah'yoni'.  Then  he  howled.  He  called  the 
birds.  So  first  came  the  tree  tappers.  Tah'yoni'  said,  "Re- 
move the  plaster  from  my  eyes  and  I  will  reward  you  with 
whatever  you  may  ask."  So  now  then  the  birds  began  to 
eat  the  plaster  from  his  eyelids  and  after  a  while  he  was 
able  to  see.  Then  he  was  very  grateful  to  the  birds,  so  he 
asked  them  what  they  desired  most  and  they  answered  that 
they  would  like  to  be  painted.  So  he  painted  the  birds. 
Some  he  striped,  some  he  spotted  and  some  he  mottled. 
He  painted  birds,  blue,  red,  black,  white,  green,  yellow,  and 
all  the  colors.  The  birds  were  very  glad  then  that  they 
had  helped  the  wolf  for  now  they  were  handsome  to  look 
upon.  Thus  came  there  to  be  different  colored  birds  so 
it  is  said  by  the  ga-ga  (legends).    So  it  ends,  the  tale. 


43.    THE  CHIPMUNK'S  STRIPES. 


There  was  a  hungry  bear.  He  could  find  nothing  to  eat. 
At  length  he  caught  a  chipmunk  and  held  it  a  prisoner. 
After  a  while  he  intended  to  eat  it.  Now  the  bear  was 
about  to  eat  the  chipmunk  when  the  little  animal  begged 
that  it  might  be  allowed  to  sing  his  death  chant  and  dance 
his  last  dance.  So  the  bear  let  him  free  for  a  time  but 
watched  him  closely.   Now  the  chipmunk  sang  this  song : 

Si!  Si!  Oyade  agadiangwa!  iSa  hi  hi  hi  hi! 
((Si !  Si!  Hole  I  wish  for!  Sa  hi  hi  hi  hi!) 

Now  he  sang  this  over  and  over  as  he  danced  over  the 
leaf  mold  of  the  forest.  After  some  time  he  felt  a  soft  spot 
and  thought  a  hole  might  be  beneath.  He  gave  a  jump  and 
sank  in  but  the  bear  was  watching  and  as  he  disappeared 
down  the  hole  he  grabbed  the  chipmunk  by  the  neck  and 
drew  his  four  claws  over  its  length.  This  hurt  the  chip- 
munk and  tore  his  skin.  After  that  scabs  formed  and  when 
they  came  off  the  chipmunk  had  stripes  on  his  back.  He 
was  glad  that  he  had  escaped.  Now  it  is  said  that  so  came 
the  stripes  of  the  chipmunk.    So  it  ends. 


314 


» 


44-    THE  RABBIT  SONG. 

There  was  a  certain  woman  who  was  accustomed  to 
ridiculing  Gwaio,  the  rabbit.  She  called  him  Honishogwa- 
dusshe.  Usually  she  called  him  Hegowa  (gallops).  One 
day  Gwaio  was  running  by  this  woman's  house.  She  saw 
him  and  came  out  to  deride  him  for  she  always  thought 
rabbits  queer  animals.  When  she  saw  him  she  sang  a  song. 
This  is  what  she  sang : 

He'gowa,  He'gowa!  Ne"ho  ni'shogwadase  oi'  dae'! 
(Gallops,  Gallops!  There  growing  all  around,  hair  is!) 

Now  this  made  Gwaio  embarrassed  and  he  hastened  to 
escape  from  the  sound  of  the  song.  He  ran  very  far  but 
soon  saw  the  woman  again  singing  as  before. 

"Gallops,  Gallops,  with  hair  circling  round!" 

Then  he  ran  fast  again  and  when  he  thought  that  he 
had  escaped  he  heard  the  woman  singing  again, 

"Gallops,  Gallops,  with  hair  circling  round!" 

This  made  him  angry  and  he  was  mystified  to  know  how 
the  woman  could  be  ever  before  him  singing  her  song  when 
he  had  passed  her  twice.  So  he  ran  again  and  when  he 
thought  himself  safe  again  he  saw  her  before  him  singing 
as  before, 

"Gallops,  Gallops,  with  hair  circling  round!" 
Again  he  ran  and  hearing  her  sing  once  more  fell  ex- 
hausted at  her  feet  tortured  by  the  song  and  laughter  of 
the  merciless  woman.    He  said,  "O  woman,  you  must  be  a 
great  witch  to  be  ever  before  me  when  I  pass  you." 

Then  the  woman  laughed  and  said,  "O  rabbit  you  must 
be  a  great  fool  not  to  know  that  I  have  not  moved  and  that 
you  have  been  running  around  in  a  circle.  When  you  ran 
up  to  me  I  sang  the  song, 

"  ^Gallops,  Gallops,  with  hair  circling  round'!" 
315 


316 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Now  the  old  people  say  that  when  you  see  a  rabbit  and 
wish  to  kill  it  to  remain  still  and  make  ready  to  shoot.  He 
will  come  again  round  a  circle  and  you  can  kill  him.  This 
thing  was  learned  from  this  legend.  Now  when  you  hunt 
rabbits  sing  this  song  when  you  see  one  and  soon  he  will 
appear  again  for  he  runs  in  circles  and  returns  to  the  same 
spot  in  which  you  saw  him  first.    So  now  all. 


45-    THE  RABBIT  GAMBLER. 

In  old  times  there  was  a  rabbit, — Osida  Hodaweo,  that 
was  his  name.  Now  OsTda  was  a  gambler  and  was  continu- 
ally winning  games.  He  had  a  deadly  enemy,  Seno, — that 
was  his  name,  a  skunk.  Now  this  Seno  loved  two  sisters.  He 
never  gambled  but  always  had  plenty  to  eat.  Osida,  also 
loved  the  same  two  sisters.  He  gambled  and  had  stores  of 
goods.  So  Osida  was  the  choice  of  the  women  but  his 
grandmother  said  that  they  would  be  fickle  and  would  desert 
him  when  his  luck  changed.  Then  Osida  laughed  at  the 
old  woman. 

His  wives  were  always  faithful  and  cooked  good  food. 
Each  morning  he  returned  from  his  gambling.  Then  he 
sang  a  song : 

"One  Djagwehee!  Deiogwaie  do-no! 
One  Djagwehee!  Deiogwaie  do-no! 
Now  I  am  coming  home;  all  night  I  have  gambled! 
Now  I  am  coming  home;  all  night  I  have  gambled!" 

Then  his  wives  hearing  his  song  in  the  distance  would 
run  out  on  the  trail  to  greet  him.   They  would  sing  a  song : 

"Osida-a-a-a  Hada-weo!  Dondae! 
Osida-a-a-a  Hada-weo!  Dondae! 
Feet  Earrings!  He  is  returning! 
Feet  Earrings!  He  is  returning!" 

So  it  happened  this  way  continuously.  Then  it  changed. 
One  morning  he  sang  his  song  but  his  wives  did  not  come 
to  greet  him.  He  did  not  hear  their  song.  He  thought 
that  it  was  strange.  But  he  kept  singing.  He  had  no  goods 
with  him.  For  a  long  time  now  he  had  brought  nothing 
home.  His  luck  had  changed.  Therefore  he  wished  his 
wives  to  come  and  cheer  him  but  they  did  not  come.  He 
continued  to  sing  until  he  stood  outside  the  lodge  door.  He 
paused  and  listened  but  heard  no  sound  within.  He  thought 
that  was  strange.    He  entered  the  lodge  and  it  was  empty. 

317 


318 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


No  one  was  within.  There  was  a  hot  meal  ready  for  him 
and  he  sat  down  and  ate.  He  was  absent  minded  and  did 
not  see  what  he  was  eating.  After  a  time  he  heard  singing 
in  the  air  above  the  lodge.   He  heard  the  words : 

"Ionegattha  sago  no  sothetstsowa  Haiasho! 
Ionegattha  sago  no  sothetatsowa  Hayasho!" 

These  were  the  words  he  heard  and  then  he  voided  his 
meal.1  He  ran  out  of  the  lodge,  and  above  the  trees  over- 
head he  saw  his  wives  paddling  a  canoe  through  the  air. 
They  were  not  descending.  Oslda  was  sick  at  stomach  but 
he  ran  to  catch  them.  They  paddled  fast  and  he  did  not 
succeed  in  getting  near  them  for  some  time.  At  last  he  was 
at  the  side  of  the  canoe  which  the  women  were  paddling 
over  the  ground.  He  leaped  into  the  canoe  but  the  women 
leaped  out  and  hopped  away  into  the  bush  lands.  Oslda 
chased  them  but  lost  sight  of  his  runaway  wives. 

Now  Seno  heard  a  noise  above  his  burrow  and  sticking 
his  head  from  the  door  saw  the  women  whom  he  loved  run- 
ning.   "Kwe !"  he  cried,  "what  is  your  haste?" 

"We  are  running  away  from  Oslda,"  they  replied. 

"My  lodge  will  be  a  safe  refuge,"  he  answered  with  a 
smile,  and  beckoned  them  in.    So  they  entered. 

Osida  spied  their  tracks  in  the  mud  and  stalked  them 
to  a  burrow.  He  was  about  to  run  into  the  hole  without 
looking  when  a  hairy  tail  of  some  animal  was  pushed  against 
his  very  face.  He  had  no  warning  and  was  drenched  with 
Seno's  fetid  water.  He  fell  back  and  cried  loudly  for  he 
was  greatly  in  distress.  By  and  by  his  grandmother  came 
to  him.  She  said  something  to  him,  but  Oslda  did  not 
laugh.   He  went  home  with  his  grandmother. 


l    Because  he  realized  that  he  was  scatophagous. 


46.    THE  RACCOON  AND  THE  CRABS. 

There  was  a  raccoon  who  was  fond  of  crabs.  It  was 
his  custom  to  catch  the  crabs  when  they  swam  out  from 
under  a  rock  in  the  water.  After  a  time  the  crabs  learned 
how  he  caught  them  and  when  he  came  near  the  water  they 
would  hide  under  a  flat  rock  and  not  come  out  until  a  senti- 
nel told  them  that  the  raccoon  had  gone.  The  raccoon 
thought  it  strange  that  the  crabs  had  grown  so  wary  and 
resolved  to  play  a  trick.  He  crept  to  the  bank  of  the  brook 
and  lay  upon  his  back  pretending  to  be  dead.  After  some 
time  the  crabs  crawled  out  to  the  bank  and  looked  carefully 
at  the  "dead"  raccoon.  Then  the  chief  of  the  crabs, 
Hasanowane  Odji'eg'da,  was  his  name,  notified  all  the  crab 
people  to  come  out  and  see  their  dead  enemy.  Now  when 
they  had  all  assembled  the  chief  said,  "He  is  dead,  let  us  all 
rejoice.  He  who  destroyed  us  is  himself  at  last  destroyed. 
So  let  us  rejoice  and  show  our  gladness  by  a  dance."  So 
they  danced  and  this  was  the  song: 

Do  sa  gwe  Do  sa  gwe  ga  no  ho  tci  do 
(Chorus)    ie    ie    ie    ie    ie    ie    ie  ie! 

Soon  one  of  the  crabs  said,  "Are  you  sure  that  he  is 
dead?"  And  the  chief  answered,  "Go  pinch  him  and  see." 
So  the  crab  went  and  pinched  him  and  the  raccoon  did  not 
move,  so  he  answered,  "Yes,  he  is  dead."  Then  they  danced 
again  and  after  a  time  a  crab  asked  of  the  chief,  "Are  you 
sure  he  is  dead?"  And  the  chief  answered,  "Go  and  see, 
then  tell  us."  So  the  crab  went  up  and  crawled  down  the 
raccoon's  throat.  When  he  came  out  he  answered,  "Yes, 
he  is  dead  there  is  evidence  inside."  Then  the  crabs  danced 
again  but  after  a  time  a  crab  asked  of  the  chief,  "Are  you 
sure  that  he  is  dead?"  And  the  chief  answered,  "Go  and 
see  for  yourself,  then  report  to  me."  So  the  crab  crawled 
up  and  pinched  the  raccoon's  heart.  This  made  the  raccoon 
very  angry  and  he  said  to  himself,  "Now  is  my  time  to 

319 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


feast,  I  have  waited  too  long."  So  he  leaped  up  and  began 
devouring  the  crabs  and  he  ate  until  his  belly  was  gorged. 
Then  he  laughed  and  thought  himself  a  great  trickster. 
Now  that  is  how  the  raccoon  outwitted  the  crabs.  It  is 
said  that  it  is  not  safe  to  rejoice  at  the  downfall  of  an  enemy 
lest  he  rise  again  and  devour  those  that  thought  they  danced 
at  his  funeral. 


47-    THE  CRAB'S  EYES. 

Now  a  crab  slept  so  long  that  his  eyes  dried  up.  When 
he  awoke  he  did  not  know  where  he  was.  He  could  not 
open  his  eyes  because  they  had  dried  up  in  his  head.  So 
he  strained  for  a  long  time.  He  crawled  along  endeavoring 
to  find  his  way  to  water.  As  he  crawled  he  kept  striving. 
After  a  time  he  came  across  an  obstruction.  So  he  sang 
this  song : 

A-di-na-ote  sa-hi  ga-i' 
De-sa-si-no  gwa-do-nio! 
What  kind  of  a  standing  tree 
With  crooked  legs  here? 

And  the  tree  answered,  "I  am  the  oak !" 

"Oh!  Oh!"  cried  the  crab,  "How  far  I  am  from  water!" 

Now  he  crawled  along  straining  his  eyes  and  singing  his 
song.  He  asked  every  tree  whose  crooked  legs  he  ran 
against  but  they  answered,  maple  or  beech,  and  he  was  dis- 
couraged. After  a  time  a  tree  said,  "rock  elm."  Then  he 
was  encouraged  and  said,  "Water  must  be  near  at  hand !" 
So  he  kept  along  striving  and  singing  and  when  he  heard  a 
tree  call  out  "willow"  he  was  exultant.  He  strained  still 
harder  and  when  he  struck  water  the  paste  over  his  eyes 
melted  and  so  intense  was  he  that  his  eyes  shot  out  of 
his  head  and  waved  about.  Now  this  was  convenient 
for  he  could  see  better  than  he  had  ever  before.  So  he 
decided  to  keep  them  out  where  he  could  adjust  them  as 
he  wished.  Now  the  old  people  have  said  that  this  was  the 
way  the  crab  got  his  eyes  and  it  may  be  true.    So  it  ends. 


821 


48.  HOW  THE  SQUIRREL  GAVE  A  BLANKET  TO 
HIS  WARRIOR,  ROBBED  THE  WOODCHUCK 
OF  HIS  TAIL  AND  THE  FROG  OF  HIS  TEETH.1 

There  was  a  time  when  animals  and  birds  were  very 
large.  So,  also,  trees  were  more  lofty  and  rivers  broader. 
This  was  long  ago. 

Now,  in  those  days  there  was  a  great  chief  of  the  squir- 
rels, and  he  was  very  wise.  It  was  his  custom  to  go 
stealthily  through  the  forest  and  watch  his  people  as  they 
worked  or  sported. 

One  autumn  morning  as  he  lay  concealed  by  the  leaves 
on  the  limb  of  a  giant  oak,  he  heard  a  chattering  voice  call 
from  a  hemlock.    It  was  the  voice  of  a  squirrel. 

"All  the  autumn  days  I  have  been  gathering  nuts,"  said 
the  squirrel  in  an  aggrieved  tone,  "and  yet  day  by  day  my 
store  is  growing  smaller.  Who  is  stealing  my  hoard  ?  Truly 
some  culprit  lurks  here  and  is  robbing  me  of  my  winter's 
food  that  I  have  patiently  stored  in  that  stump !" 

Up  from  a  hole  in  the  hillside  popped  Tedo',  the  wood- 
chuck.  From  the  dark  scummy  swamp  water  a  big  frog 
lifted  its  green  head. 

"How  unfortunate !"  said  the  woodchuck,  "Some  thief 
must  be  lurking  here." 

"Yes,  I  too  think  it  strange,"  croaked  the  big  frog, 
"Surely  some  thief  must  be  hidden  here." 

Then  in  a  chorus  both  poured  out  their  sympathy  to  the 
indignant  squirrel. 

The  squirrel  chief  seated  on  the  oak  limb  listened  atten- 
tively and  then  nodding  his  head  spoke  thus  to  himself. 
"True,  indeed,  thieves  are  not  far  away.  I  think  this  sym- 
pathy betokens  knaves." 

At  night  the  chief  hid  in  a  branch  that  overhung  the 
stump  that  the  squirrel  had  pointed  out. 


i    From  Mrs.  Aurelia  Miller. 

322 


SQUIRREL  GAINS  A  TAIL 


323 


When  the  sun  had  gone  in  his  western  door  and  dark- 
ness had  obscured  the  earth,  from  a  hole  in  the  hillside  a 
brown  head  cautiously  emerged  and  after  peering  slyly 
around  the  woodchuck  crept  from  his  burrow,  swung  his 
tail  jauntily  and  trotted  down  his  path  to  the  swamp.  A 
green  backed  frog  pushed  his  way  from  a  high  tufted  hum- 
mock of  grass  through  the  black  water  of  the  swamp  toward 
the  hillside.  But  he  made  no  froggish  splash,  no  gurgling 
trill,  no  croak  but  swam  in  silence.  Reaching  the  bank  he 
sneaked  his  way  up  the  path  to  the  stump  beneath  the  squir* 
rel's  hemlock  where  a  furry  brown  bulk  was  rumaging. 

"Kwe  !"  exclaimed  the  frog  in  a  startled  note. 

"Kwe !"  came  the  hollow  reply,  and  Tedo,  the  wood- 
chuck,  withdrew  his  head  to  see  who  had  discovered  him 
but  finding  it  to  be  only  Skoak,  the  frog,  he  resumed  his 
work  of  pilfering  the  squirrel's  store. 

"lis  kho,  and  you  too,"  he  said  in  a  muffled  voice  as 
with  bulging  cheeks  he  hurried  back  to  his  hole. 

Now  the  frog  in  those  days  had  sharp  gnawing  teeth 
like  a  beaver's  and  when  he  entered  the  hollow  stump  he 
tested  the  nuts  to  find  what  variety  he  would  choose.  He 
had  taken  hickory  nuts  before  but  now  chose  to  take  chest- 
nuts. 

From  the  limb  over  the  stump  store  house  a  shrill  cry 
sounded. 

"Thief  found !"  came  the  alarm,  and  the  woodchuck  and 
the  frog  buried  their  ears  in  their  booty  to  shut  out  the 
sound. 

On  the  following  day  the  squirrel  chief  called  a  council 
of  all  the  animals,  for  in  those  days  the  squirrel  was  a 
famous  animal  and  mightier  than  a  wolf. 

"Thieves  have  been  found,"  said  he.  "I  call  a  council 
to  pronounce  judgement." 

Every  animal  from  the  neighborhood  was  present  except 
the  frog  and  the  woodchuck. 

A  delegation  was  sent  to  examine  the  houses  of  these 


324 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


absent  two  and  after  some  time  returned  with  the  most 
guilty  pair  ever  brought  to  council  for  judgement. 

Said  the  squirrel  chief.  "I  saw  you  steal  the  squirrel's 
nuts,  the  delegation  found  them  in  your  houses,  therefore, 
you  shall  be  punished.  You,  the  woodchuck,  shall  have  your 
tail  removed  to  humble  your  pride,  and  you  the  frog 
shall  have  your  teeth  taken  from  your  mouth  that  you  may 
not  be  further  tempted  to  steal  another's  store.  You  the 
squirrel  have  been  too  careless.  Henceforth  build  your 
storehouse  high  and  in  order  to  protect  yourself  from 
offenders  that  might  attack  you,  I  give  you  this  blanket  to 
stretch  from  leg  to  leg  so  that  you  may  skim  the  air  like  a 
leaf." 

A  wolf  snapped  off  the  woodchuck's  tail  and  a  heron 
extracted  the  frog's  teeth  and  so  punished  the  guilty  knaves 
in  sight  of  all. 

So  now  all  these  things  came  to  pass ;  all  frogs  were 
afterwards  hatched  without  teeth,  all  woodchucks  had 
bobbed  tails  and  all  the  descendents  of  the  squirrel  had 
blankets  fastened  to  their  legs  and  bellies  and  made  a  tribe 
of  their  own.  Moreover,  since  that  time  all  frogs  have  been 
afraid  of  long-billed  birds  and  all  woodchucks  are  afraid  of 
wolves  but  some  squirrels  have  blankets  and  can  skim  the 
air  like  leaves. 


49-    THE  CHICKADEE'S  SONG.1 


Djikdjunkwa  was  a  lonely  chickadee.  She  was  very  sad 
and  sat  on  the  limb  of  a  tree  singing  a  sorrowful  tune. 
Then  she  flew  to  another  tree  and  listened  for  an  answering 
call. 

A  wolf  passing  by  heard  her  crying  song  and  tears 
came  in  his  eyes.  "Let  me  be  your  helper?"  he  asked. 

"What  kind  of  food  do  you  eat,  good  friend?"  asked  she. 

"Raw  meat,  raw  meat,"  exclaimed  the  wolf,  seeking  to 
lure  the  Chickadee  to  him. 

Eut  Chickadee  screamed  a  fluttering  note  and  flew  away. 
Soon  again  she  sang  her  song. 

"I  am  so  lonesome,  I  am  looking  for  somebody  to  marry  me." 

"A  crow  flying  over  listened  and  was  moved  to  help  the 
distressed  little  bird. 

"Oh  poor  Chickadee,"  said  Crow.  "I  would  like  to 
marry  you." 

"What  would  you  feed  my  young  ones?"  asked  the 
Chickadee. 

"Ripe  dead  meat,"  answered  the  crow,  whereupon 
Chickadee  flew  away  and  hid  herself  in  a  low  bush,  until  the 
crow  had  flown  away.  Then  she  returned  to  a  tree  and  sang 
again : 

"Dji-he,  dji-he,  dji-i-he,  I  am  so  lonely  that  I  would  like  to 
marry.   Dji-he,  dji-he,  dji-i-he." 

Soon  she  heard  an  answering  call  and  saw  a  bird  like 
herself.  He  flew  toward  her  and  said,  "I  am  the  one  and 
we  will  marry  now." 

l  Cornplanter  says,  "Some  girls  sing  this  song  and  boys  know  what 
they  mean." 


325 


50.    THE  BIRD  WOMAN.1 


Sitting  mournfully  on  the  edge  of  her  nest  was  a  heart- 
broken Gonadjodjo,  (Chewink).  Her  husband  had  been 
blown  away  on  the  breath  of  a  storm  and  the  bird  mother 
was  left  alone  to  care  for  her  hungry  brood. 

All  day  long  she  had  waited  for  her  mate  to  return  but, 
alas,  he  seemed  to  have  forgotten  her.  Disconsolate,  she 
listened  to  her  children's  cries.  When  she  would  fly  to  find 
their  food  they  would  shiver  with  cold  and  when  she  nestled 
them  under  her  wings  they  would  scream  for  bugs  and  seeds 
and  berries.  Something  must  be  done  or  her  callow  nest- 
lings would  perish.  So  with  a  sad  heart  she  began  to  sing 
in  melancholy  note. 

Fluttering  upon  the  stump  of  a  fallen  tree  she  sang  and 
an  owl  within  a  hollow  stub  nearby  poked  out  his  head 
and  said,  "Oh  may  I  not  be  your  helper  and  care  for  your 
nest?" 

"Alas!"  sighed  Gonadjodjo  in  great  distress,  "it  would 
never  do  for  my  young  birds  would  die  when  they  heard 
you." 

The  owl  drew  back  into  his  hole  and  Gonadjodjo  sang 
again. 

From  another  hollow  tree  came  an  answering  call.  "May 
I  not  be  your  helper?"  screeched  a  night  hawk. 

"Ah,  what  yould  you  say  to  comfort  them?"  said  Gano- 
jojo. 

"I  would  say  Hai",  hai",  hai",  hai" !" 
"Oh  no,  no!"  cried  Ganodjodjo,  "they  would  scream  the 
worse." 

Flying  to  an  open  spot  she  sang  again  and  a  crow  poking 
among  the  weeds  paused  and  lifted  his  head  as  he  heard  the 
song.  Then,  with  all  compassion  he  said,  "Oh,  Ganodjodjo, 
I  would  like  to  help  you." 


l    Related  by  Chief  Cornplanter,  1905. 

326 


BIRD  WOMAN 


327 


"Then  what  would  you  say  to  soothe  my  children?" 
sighed  the  unhappy  bird. 

"Ga  !  ga  !  ga  !  ga !"  replied  the  crow,  but  Ganodjodjo  cried 
in  terror  that  his  harsh  hoarse  voice  was  far  too  hoarse  for 
her  little  ones,  so,  the  crow  croaked  and  strode  on. 

Winging  her  way  to  the  top  of  a  dead  tree  Ganodjodjo 
sang  again  her  plaintive  song.  There  was  a  whirr  of  wings 
and  a  bluejay  alighted  on  the  branch  beside  her. 

"I  will  help  you  gladly,"  said  he. 

"Well,"  said  the  hapless  Ganodjodjo  shyly,  for  she  was 
impressed  with  the  gay  bird  at  her  side,  "what  would  you 
say  to  my  children?" 

"In  my  softest  voice  I  would  say,  "Di",  di",  di",  di", 
di",  di",  di",  skil'lum,  skil'lum  !" 

The  sharp  shrill  cry  of  the  bluejay  made  Ganodjodjo's 
ears  ache  and  fluttering  to  the  ground  half  fainting  she  fell 
in  a  mouldering  pile  of  leaves.  Plaintively  she  sang  her 
song  again.  The  leaves  on  the  ground  a  distance  away  be- 
gan to  tremble  and  rustle  and  then  there  was  a  faint  sound 
of  "tci'-wii*,  tci'-wii' !"  The  disconsolate  bird  stopped  short, 
and  darting  to  the  spot  found  her  own  lost  mate. 

"I  have  been  stunned  and  bruised,"  he  said,  "and  only 
awoke  when  you  called." 

She  plucked  him  a  red  berry  for  medicine  and  then 
together  they  flew  to  their  nest,  he  with  unsteady  wings 
but  she  in  strong  and  happy  flight. 


5i.    THE  PARTRIDGE'S  SONG. 


Now  there  was  a  partridge1  woman  who  had  a  large 
family.  She  had  a  house  under  a  big  log  and  her  house  was 
hidden  by  plants.  A  good  many  people  (animals)  tried  to 
find  the  partridge's  house  because  they  wanted  to  eat  her 
eggs  or  her  children.  Now  one  morning  her  children  were 
all  asleep  and  she  was  running  about  eating  worms  and 
seeds.  At  this  time  she  smelled  an  enemy  so  she  was 
alarmed  for  her  children's  safety.  Now  then  she  sang  a 
song  to  awaken  them  : 

Djut-gan-nio,  djut-gan-nio!     Ho-sho-ga-he  shoda-die-s! 
Ya-ha-ne  sho-da-ges!    Ia-ha-ne  sho-da-ges! 

which  meant  that  the  skunk  was  prowling  about  and  would 
soon  find  them  if  they  did  not  scurry  away.  After  a  time 
they  heard  their  mother's  song  and  ran  into  the  bushes  and 
she  hid  them  in  a  safe  place. 

Now  this  is  the  partridge  song  and  it  is  a  good  thing 
to  sing  it  when  you  see  or  smell  an  enemy  about  a  part- 
ridge's house.   It  is  good  luck. 

l  Partridge  in  Seneca  is  Deyenego .  sda'sden',  meaning,  Her  two 
wings  are  large. 


328 


TALES  OF  GIANTS,  PYGMIES 
AND  MONSTER  BEARS 


IX. 


52.    A  TALE  OF  THE  DJOGEON 
OR  PYGMIES 

There  was  a  young  man  named  Snow  who  lived  with 
his  parents  along  the  bank  of  a  river.  He  played  about 
the  door  yard  every  day  and  sometimes  swam  in  the  river. 
When  he  was  very  young  he  obeyed  everything  his  father 
told  him  and  refrained  from  going  toward  the  south,  where 
he  had  been  forbidden  to  venture. 

One  morning  he  took  his  bow  and  arrows  and  began  to 
hunt  cedar  waxwings.  It  was  spring  time  and  there  were 
many  of  these  birds  on  the  tall  trees.  Just  as  he  was  about 
to  shoot,  the  birds  flew  to  the  south  and  so  kept  on  flying 
up  the  bed  of  a  smaller  stream,  emptying  into  the  river.  As 
Snow  chased  the  birds  he  noticed  that  the  walls  of  the 
stream  grew  higher  and  higher  until  they  were  very  high 
and  close  together  at  the  top.  It  became  very  dark  and 
Snow  became  confused  and  could  not  tell  where  to  walk, 
for  the  rocks  began  to  get  more  and  more  jagged.  So  he 
sat  down  on  a  large  stone,  feeling  very  miserable. 

Suddenly  he  heard  a  stone  strike  the  ground  at  his  feet. 
He  looked  about  in  the  gloom  and  then  heard  another  strike. 
The  next  time  the  stone  struck  him  on  the  forehead  be- 
tween the  eyes  and  Snow  fell  over  like  a  dead  person. 

After  a  long  time  he  heard  voices  speaking.  The  dis- 
cussion was  about  him  and  he  heard  a  voice  say,  "Now  we 
have  him."  He  resolved  to  keep  his  eyes  shut  and  wait 
for  a  good  opportunity  to  escape.  Soon  he  heard  foot  falls 
about  him ;  they  were  very  light  like  a  small  child's.  Then 
more  came  about  him  and  soon  he  heard  the  sound  of  drum- 
ming. Presently  small  voices  began  to  sing  and  the  singing 
continued  for  a  long  time. 

331 


332 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Snow  understood  every  word  and  remembered  the 
songs.  Finally  he  made  up  his  mind  that  there  was  nothing 
malign  about  the  intentions  of  the  beings  that  moved  about 
him  and  he  opened  his  eyes. 

All  about  him  were  pygmies, — little  people, — dressed 
just  like  Indians.  There  was  a  shout  when  he  opened  his 
eyes  and  he  was  told  to  rise  and  be  seated.  He  could  now 
see  clearly  by  aid  of  a  fire  on  the  slaty  bottom  of  the  creek. 

At  length  one  of  the  little  people  spoke,  asking  him  if 
he  had  tobacco.  Snow  searched  through  his  hunting  pouch 
and  found  a  small  quantity  which  he  gave  the  chief.  This 
caused  an  expression  of  great  pleasure. 

The  chief  of  the  little  people  now  spoke.  "You  have 
come  to  our  home,"  said  he.  "We  sent  for  you  in  order 
that  we  might  teach  you  our  ways.  You  are  to  stay  here 
until  you  have  learned  our  customs." 

Snow  lived  with  the  little  people  and  became  versed  in 
all  their  arts.  He  was  told  that  when  the  Djogeon  were  in 
need  of  tobacco  they  would  be  heard  singing,  and  then  the 
Indians  must  throw  tobacco  into  the  gulches  where  the 
sound  emanated.  Sometimes  drumming  would  be  heard 
instead  of  singing,  and  this  also  indicated  the  need  of  to- 
bacco. The  little  people  would  also  be  pleased  to  have  finger 
nail  parings  in  order  to  give  them  certain  human  powers. 
Snow  was  told  about  the  different  tribes  of  Djogeon  and 
about  the  stone  throwers.  Some  Djogeon  had  power  over 
the  fruits  and  plants  and  even  the  health  of  people.  They 
had  some  valuable  hunting  charms  which  they  would  be- 
stow if  man  would  guard  their  potency  by  appropriate  cere- 
monies.  All  this  Snow  learned. 

The  time  came  for  him  to  depart,  and  the  Djogeon  gave 
him  presents,  telling  him  their  purposes  and  magical  attri- 
butes. Snow  now  departed  and  returned  to  his  people,  who 
had  grown  very  old.  They  scarcely  knew  him  because  of 
his  long  absence,  which  seemed  to  him  only  a  few  days. 


A  TALE  OF  PYGMIES 


333 


Snow  now  called  together  his  friends  and  taught  them 
the  ceremonies  and  the  songs  of  the  little  people,  and  these 
ceremonies  have  come  down  to  this  day.  They  must  be 
performed  in  the  dark. 

After  that  time  the  people  began  to  see  Djogeon  in 
various  places,  but  they  felt  safe,  knowing  how  to  appease 
them. 


53-    BEYOND-THE-RAPIDS  AND  THE  STONE 
GIANT. 


Skun'niwundi1  was  a  great  fighter.  His  name  as  a 
warrior  was  famous  everywhere  and  he  was  called  the 
greatest  war  chief  in  the  world.  Skunniwun'di  was  a 
great  name. 

Skunniwun'di  was  passing  along  the  bank  of  a  river 
one  time  when  he  heard  his  name  called  out,  "Kwe  Skun 
niwun'di,"  some  voice  was  saying.  "You  are  the  best 
fighter  in  the  world, — you  are  the  best  fighter  in  the  world." 

Skunniwun'di  looked  up  and  saw  across  the  river  a 
terrible  Genonsgwa,  a  stonish  giant,  a  female  giant.  So  he 
answered,  "Kwe  !   What  do  you  want  ?" 

"I  want  to  fight  with  you,"  she  answered. 

Skunniwun'di  never  had  fought  with  a  stonish  giant 
but  he  answered,  "All  right,  come  over!" 

Now  at  this  place  on  the  river  there  was  a  deep  hole 
above  the  ripples  and  there  was  a  ford  at  the  ripples.  Now 
the  Genonsgwa  walked  into  the  hole  and  was  a  long  time 
crossing  over  under  the  water.  Skunniwun'di  thought  he 
would  cross  over  on  the  ripples  and  he  was  in  a  great  hurry 
and  forgot  his  tomahawk.  Now  he  stood  on  the  opposite 
side  when  the  stonish  woman  appeared. 

"Kwe!"  she  cried,  "where  are  you?" 

"Right  where  I  was  before,"  answered  Skunniwun'di. 

"That  is  strange,"  she  replied,  "for  here  is  your  little 
weapon." 

"Oh  I  was  passing  this  place  some  time  ago  and  dropped 
it,"  he  explained. 

"Oh  what  a  tiny  thing  to  fight  with,"  she  laughed. 
"How  do  you  ever  expect  to  fight  with  it !"  She  licked  it 
with  her  tongue  and  then  said,  "It  is  no  good,  see  me  smash 
it  on  this  rock !"   Then  she  hit  the  rock  and  to  her  surprise 


l    Meaning  Beyond-the-Rapids. 

334 


BEYOND  THE  RAPIDS 


335 


the  rock  split  asunder.2  She  did  not  realize  that  it  was  her 
saliva  that  made  the  tomahawk  strong  medicine. 

"Ho  ho !"  she  exclaimed,  "are  all  your  weapons  so  effec- 
tive on  stone?" 

"That  little  weapon  is  nothing,"  said  Skunniwun'di, 
"I  have  a  knife  here  that  will  cut  stone  by  drawing  it  over 
it." 

"Let  me  see  it,"  begged  the  giantess. 

The  man  threw  it  across  the  stream.  The  stonish  woman 
picked  it  up  and  drew  it  across  her  lips  moistening  it  with 
her  saliva.  This  is  the  custom  of  the  giants  when  they 
wish  to  use  anything  and  they  do  not  know  that  it  makes 
power.  Taking  the  knife  she  drew  it  over  a  flint  and  the 
flint  was  cut.  She  rubbed  its  edge  on  her  coat  and  it  was 
slit.  Then  she  threw  back  the  axe  and  the  knife  now  pos- 
sessed with  a  wonderful  power  and  Skunniwun'di  exult- 
ant asked  her  to  hurry  and  commence  the  fight. 

"No,"  said  the  giantess,  "Your  medicine  is  too  strong. 
You  are  truly  the  greatest  warrior  of  the  earth.    I  will  go." 

When  the  stone  giantess  left  Skunniwun'di  she  ran 
out  to  a  river  and  followed  it  as  it  flowed  until  she  came  to 
a  house  where  a  man,  woman  and  child  were  sitting  around 
a  fire  inside.  She  unfastened  her  stone  coat  and  entered. 
After  greeting  them  she  said,  "I  am  fleeing  from  my  hus- 
band who  seeks  to  kill  me.  Only  be  my  friends  and  I  will 
give  you  something."  The  people  were  kind  and  told  her 
that  she  could  stay,  but  even  so,  they  were  afraid  of  her. 
So  she  sat  and  swung  the  hammock  in  which  lay  the  baby 
daughter.  She  began  to  sing  without  realizing  that  her  song 
would  offend  the  parents  : 

"Oh  what  a  tender  morsel, 
How  I  would  love  to  eat  you!" 

The  father  remonstrated  and  implored  her  not  to  destroy 


2  This  episode  is  identical  with  that  recorded  by  Barbeau  in  a 
Huron  myth. 


536 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


their  child.  Then  the  giantess  was  sony  and  asked  for- 
giveness. 

The  next  morning  she  went  out  into  the  woods  and  killed 
two  deer  and  a  bear  and  brought  them  back  for  her  hosts. 

After  a  number  of  days  she  said,  "I  hear  my  husband 
coming.  You  can  save  me.  Cut  six  basswood  poles  as 
tall  as  a  man  and  when  we  fight  and  he  throws  me  down 
thrust  them  one  by  one  into  his  back  and  you  will  kill  him. 
Then  I  will  repay  you." 

The  great  stone  giant  came  making  a  roar  like  a  whirl- 
wind, "Who-whoa-hoh-hoh-hoh !"  and  the  giantess  whis- 
pered, "Be  ready  and  do  your  best.   Do  not  be  afraid." 

The  man  hid  behind  the  big  rocks  and  saw  the  female 
giant  and  her  husband  rush  upon  each  other.  They  fought 
very  hard  and  the  stone  broke  when  they  hurled  each  other 
against  them. 

"The  world  is  small,  you  could  not  escape  me,"  the 
giant  thundered  as  he  flung  his  wife  upon  her  back  and 
made  ready  to  kill  her.  Then  the  man  ran  out  and  thrust 
the  sharpened  poles  into  the  giant  and  they  came  out  of 
his  mouth. 

"Oh,  oh !"  he  cried,  "I  am  killed,  I  am  gone !"  and  he 
fell  over  dead. 

The  giantess  was  glad  and  rewarded  her  friend  with  a 
small  patch  of  skin.  "This  skin  is  covered  with  the  hairs 
of  all  animals,"  she  said,  "and  when  you  wish  to  kill  a  beast 
remove  a  hair  and  blow  it  on  the  wind.  The  animal  will 
appear  and  you  will  be  able  to  kill  it." 

So  the  giantess  went  away  and  the  man  kept  his  great 
game  charm  and  was  thought  a  most  successful  hunter,  and 
no  one  knew  how  he  got  animals  when  no  one  else  could ; 
but  one  day  a  boy  saw  him  blow  a  hair  and  a  beaver  came. 
Then  he  hit  it  with  a  club  and  chopped  off  its  tail. 


54.    THE  ANIMATED  FINGER.1 

There  was  a  boy  named  Skunniwundi  who  was  a  hunter. 
It  was  a  time  when  there  was  a  great  famine  and  game 
was  very  scarce.  The  people  were  starving.  Skunniwundi 
thought  he  would  find  out  why  there  was  no  game.  Long 
he  had  been  warned  not  to  go  north,  but  north  he  went. 

When  he  had  traveled  a  long  ways  he  saw  something 
moving  in  the  rocks  ahead  of  him.  Concealing  himself  in 
a  hole  he  watched.  Soon  he  saw  two  stone  coated  women 
approaching.  They  were  looking  for  food.  Then  did 
Skunniwundi  know  that  the  stone  giants  were  eating  all 
the  game,  thus  making  the  famine. 

After  a  while  Skunniwundi  noticed  that  one  of  the 
women  took  something  out  of  a  bag  and  placed  it  on  the 
palm  of  her  hand.  As  she  did  this  she  exclaimed,  "Ghaah !" 
and  commenced  to  walk  directly  toward  him.  At  this  he 
began  to  run  toward  a  creek  hoping  to  cross  it  but  they  were 
too  swift  for  him.  Hoping  to  secape  he  ran  into  a  clump  of 
tall  trees  and  climbed  one.  The  women  followed  his  tracks 
to  the  tree  and  then  began  to  look  around  for  him.  Not 
once  did  they  think  of  looking  up,  for  their  necks  would 
not  bend.  If  they  tried  they  would  crack  off.  Failing  to 
find  him  one  of  the  giant  women  put  her  hand  in  her  pocket 
and  took  out  something  again  which  she  placed  on  the  palm 
of  her  hand.  Skunniwundi  looked  down  and  saw  that  it 
was  a  human  finger  and  that  it  was  standing  up  pointing 
at  him.  "Where  is  he?"  asked  the  woman  and  the  finger 
wriggled  and  pointed.  This  puzzled  the  women  and  Skun- 
niwundi felt  that  he  was  secure.  Soon  he  began  to  think 
that  this  finger  would  be  a  helpful  possession  and  began  to 
consider  how  he  could  obtain  it. 

The  women  continued  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  and  finally 
discovered  Skunniwundi's  hatchet  and  arrows  which  he  had 


l  Related  May,  1906,  by  George  Jameson,  Tahadondeh,  Cattaraugus 
Seneca. 

337 


338 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


left  on  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  tree.  One  woman 
picked  them  up  and  began  to  lick  them,  smelling  for  blood. 

Skunniwundi  now  saw  that  all  was  lost  unless  he  hast- 
ened. So  with  a  quick  slide  he  came  down  the  tree  and 
seized  the  finger.  With  a  bound  he  jumped  into  the  water, 
but  as  he  heard  the  giant  women  follow  him  he  turned  back 
under  water  and  stood  on  the  spot  where  he  had  dived  off. 
The  women  came  out  of  the  water  on  the  opposite  shore 
and  were  greatly  surprised.  So  they  plunged  in  the  water 
after  him  and  when  their  heads  were  under  Skunniwundi 
swam  across  and  stood  on  the  opposite  shore.  He  could 
swim  very  fast  now  that  he  had  the  finger.  When  the 
women  came  out  of  the  water  they  saw  him  where  they  had 
stood  but  a  moment  before,  and  were  again  surprised.  They 
plunged  in  again  and  this  time  Skunniwundi  ran  very  rap- 
idly to  escape  them.  Soon  he  heard  the  women  crying,  "Oh 
give  us  back  the  finger.   We  promise  not  to  eat  you." 

Skunniwundi  now  was  filled  with  power  and  kept  ask- 
ing the  finger  where  the  giant  women  were,  and  by  going 
in  another  direction  he  escaped  them  until  he  came  near  to 
his  own  settlement,  which  lay  across  a  stream  of  very  cold 
water.   In  he  plunged  and  swam  across. 

When  he  arrived  on  the  other  shore,  toward  the  village 
he  saw  a  herd  of  deer.  Fixing  his  bow  he  shot  and  the 
arrow  went  through  seven  deer  killing  them  all.  He  then 
ran  on  toward  the  village.  He  showed  his  uncle  the  finger 
and  told  the  people  to  go  for  the  game,  but  they  returned  in 
fright  saying  that  there  were  sounds  of  giants  on  the  other 
side  of  the  stream. 

Skunniwundi  and  his  uncle  then  went  to  the  river  and 
saw  the  giant  women  on  the  other  side.  "Oh  Skunniwundi, 
give  back  the  finger,"  cried  the  women.  "We  will  not  mo- 
lest you  any  more." 

"Give  it  to  them,"  said  the  uncle.  "They  will  be  friends 
with  us  if  we  appease  them." 

Skunniwundi  then  took  the  finger  and  held  it  way  out 


THE  ANIMATED  FINGER 


339 


over  the  water  and  the  giant  women  leaned  over  from  the 
cliff  on  the  other  side  and  just  as  they  were  about  to  grasp 
the  finger  Skunniwundi  drew  back  his  hand  and  the  women 
were  overbalanced  and  fell  in  the  river,  falling  head  first. 
Down  they  went  to  the  bottom,  and  the  river  froze  as  hard 
as  stone,  killing  the  stone  coated  women. 

After  that  timle,  Skunniwundi  had  the  finger  for  a  hunt- 
ing charm  and  he  supplied  game  for  the  village. 


55-    THE  STONE  GIANT'S  BATTLE.1 


The  stone  giants  had  conquered  all  the  tribes  of  the 
north  and  had  grown  tired  of  such  easy  combats. 

So  they  came  toward  the  south  and  heard  of  the  fame 
of  the  Six  Nations  and  right  away  desired  to  fight  with 
them.  In  order  to  present  a  formidable  force  they  sent 
messengers  back  to  their  own  north  country  with  orders  to 
bring  back  a  fresh  party  of  warriors.  These  crossed  the 
north  ocean  and  coming  to  the  Niagara  river  made  a  path 
of  rocks  across  it  and  walked  over  without  even  wetting  the 
soles  of  their  moccasins. 

Now  the  Six  Nations  knew  all  these  things  because  Gwa 
gwa  having  seen  them  flew  up  to  the  clouds  and  told  the  sun 
and  the  sun  told  SongwayadF'sa'e',  the  Great  Ruler.  Then 
SongwayadF'sa'e'  instructed  Gwa  gwa  to  nip  off  a  grass- 
hopper's big  leg  and  dangle  it  from  the  sky  over  a  village 
while  screaming  his  cry.    So  Gwa  gwa  obeyed. 

An  old  man  was  crossing  a  clearing.  In  the  air  above 
him  he  heard  what  seemed  a  death  cry  and  looking  upward 
he  saw  a  human  leg  writhing  as  it  bled  from  the  clouds. 
The  old  man  dropped  his  head  down  and  away  from  the 
sight  and  walked  on  pondering  over  the  wonder,  and  he 
never  knew  that  it  was  only  Gwa  gwa  with  a  grass-hopper's 
big  leg.  The  old  man  lay  down  to  sleep  and  as  he  slept  he 
dreamed  the  interpretation  of  the  sign  and  knew  that  the 
stone  giants  were  coming. 

On  the  following  day  the  old  man  took  two  friends  and 
hid  on  the  summit  of  a  high  mountain.  For  two  days  the 
men  camped  there  listening  to  the  war  songs  of  the  on- 
marching  foe,  and  at  evening  on  the  second  day  they  saw 
the  vast  war  party  of  giants  march  into  sight  far  down  the 
valley  and  pitch  camp  on  the  shores  of  a  lake.    Then  a 


l    Related   January,    1905,   by  Aurelia  Jones   Miller,  Cattaraugus 

Seneca. 

340 


THE  STONE  GIANT'S  BATTLE 


341 


spirit  came  out  of  a  tree  and  revealed  to  the  men  that  the 
Creator  had  planned  to  save  them.  He  instructed  them  to 
choose  a  messenger  from  among  themselves  and  dispatch 
him  for  a  few  more  people  to  witness  the  battle  with  the 
giants. 

Accordingly,  a  runner  was  sent  to  the  village  and  a  small 
party  was  guided  back  to  the  mountain  top,  where  all  found 
shelter  beneath  a  great  rock. 

A  terrible  storm  burst  from  the  sky — He"non  roared 
from  the  heavens  and  sent  down  his  fire  upon  the  camp  of 
stone  giants.  Then  the  earth  trembled  and  the  mountains 
on  either  side  of  the  valley  slid  down  upon  the  giants  below. 

It  seemed  that  all  were  killed. 


56.    THE  BOY  AND  THE  FALSE  FACE.1 

There  was  a  certain  tribe  that  had  been  almost  exter- 
minated by  a  hostile  people  in  the  west.  The  western  war- 
riors would  swoop  down  on  the  settlements  on  the  Lake 
(Ontario)  and  carry  off  many  captives  and  scalps. 

Now  there  was  a  boy  who  had  no  settled  home.  His 
parents  were  dead  and  his  grandmother  also.  He  was  a 
wanderer  and  showed  no  special  ability  in  anything. 

Now  this  boy  was  named  No'gwagwa  and  he  began  to 
have  dreams.  He  dreamed  that  a  great  false  face  came  to 
him  and  said,  "You  must  lead  a  war  party  beyond  the 
Mississippi."  Then  again  he  had  a  dream  and  the  false  face 
said,  "You  must  lead  a  war  party  beyond  the  Mississippi. 
You  must  hold  a  war  dance  and  gather  your  warriors." 

Now  again  he  dreamed  that  the  false  face  came  to  him 
in  his  sleep  and  said,  "You  must  lead  a  war  party  across  the 
Mississippi.  You  must  hold  a  war  dance  and  gather  your 
warriors.  Go  in  a  fleet  of  canoes."  Now  moreover  he 
dreamed  again  that  the  false  face  said,  "You  must  lead  a 
war  party  beyond  the  Mississippi.  You  must  hold  a  dance 
and  gather  your  warriors.  Go  in  a  fleet  of  canoes.  Sit  in 
the  first  canoe  but  do  not  allow  anyone  to  pass  the  middle 
for  I  will  be  in  the  front  of  the  first  canoe  and  give  your 
expedition  success.   You  can  not  fail." 

Now  when  the  poor  boy  had  heard  the  false  face  speak 
four  times  he  believed  his  dream  and  proclaimed  himself  a 
war-chief.  Then  all  the  people  laughed.  Now  he  notified 
all  the  boys  of  the  village  that  he  was  a  chief  and  would 
lead  a  party  against  the  hostile  nation  in  the  west.  Now 
many  of  the  boys  came  and  danced.  The  Nogwagwa  said, 
"I  have  a  power  and  can  not  fail.  I  have  a  magic  friend." 
After  a  while  the  people  ceased  to  scoff  and  all  the  men 

l  Related  by  George  (Dondeh)  Jemerson.  This  legend  shows  the 
use  of  a  large  false  face  as  a  war-bundle  charm. 

342 


THE  BOY  AND  THE  FALSE  FACE 


343 


joined  his  party.  Now  there  were  many  canoes  and  No- 
gwagwa  sat  in  the  middle  of  the  first  canoe  and  would  not 
allow  anyone  to  pass  by  him.  Now  after  seven  days  they 
reached  the  country  of  the  enemy.  The  warriors  wondered 
when  the  "friend"  was  to  appear  and  could  not  believe  that 
he  sat  in  the  prow  of  the  first  canoe.  Now  the  enemy 
appeared  and  immediately  there  rose  into  view  in  the  prow 
of  the  first  canoe  a  gigantic  false  face.  Now  he  was  the 
mark  of  the  enemy  and  they  shot  at  him.  He  had  a  great 
shield  and  caught  all  the  arrows  and  no  one  was  killed  but 
when  Nogwagwa's  party  shot  their  arrows  they  killed  many 
people.  Then  the  party  disembarked  and  pursued  the  enemy 
far  inland.  The  giant  false  face  and  Nogwagwa  led  the 
party  and  they  killed  the  entire  tribe  of  men  and  took  their 
scalps.  Then  the  false  face  disappeared  and  Nogwagwa 
led  the  party  home.  After  that  the  boy,  Nogwagwa,  was 
his  name,  was  a  great  chief  and  he  was  an  influential  man. 
So  it  is  said  this  day  that  orphan  boys  without  homes  may 
become  great  chiefs. 


57-    HOW  A  BOY  OUTWITTED  A  NIA"GWAHE. 

Great  sickness  had  killed  many  men  and  Sondowek'owa, 
the  beast  of  Death,  had  touched  the  father  and  mother  of 
two  children,  who  lived  far  back  in  a  place  in  the  forest 
away  from  the  villages.  The  children,  a  boy  and  a  little 
girl,  were  left  alone  to  care  for  themselves. 

The  baby  sister  was  swinging  in  a  grapevine  hammock 
one  morning,  when  from  over  the  hill  came  floating  a  song. 
The  boy  glanced  out  from  the  lodge  and  saw  an  old  woman 
hobbling  down  hill  and  crooning  as  she  went.  He  did  not 
like  the  sounds  in  her  song  and  turned  uneasily  back  to 
his  work. 

Presently  the  old  woman  came  up  to  the  little  girl  and 
croaking  an  unfamiliar  song  held  out  a  little  bark  bowl  of 
pudding,  inviting  her  to  accept  it.  The  child  looked  up  and 
held  out  her  hands  to  take  it  when  her  brother  rushed  out 
and  forbade  her. 

"The  woman  is  a  witch,"  he  whispered  to  his  sister.  "If 
you  eat  her  food  it  will  charm  you  away !" 

The  old  creature  heard  this  exposure  of  her  true  self 
and  fled  vowing  to  return  the  next  day.  True  to  her  prom- 
ise, she  came  again  and  held  out  a  delicious  looking  pudding 
on  the  top  of  which  was  a  singing  mocking-bird.  The  boy 
ran  out  from  the  lodge  and  stoned  the  old  woman  away 
and  in  anger  she  pointed  her  fingers  toward  him  and 
screamed,  "It  does  not  matter  for  I  will  come  again !" 

The  next  day  she  returned  and  again  was  driven  away 
by  stones.  She  then  departed  with  the  same  threatening 
words.  But  on  one  day  she  exclaimed,  "Oh  why  do  you 
not  accept  my  beautiful  gift!  Do  so  now  for  I  am  hungry 
and  wish  to  eat  you.    Oh,  Oh — \" 

The  boy  was  frightened  by  her  frank  avowal  but  deter- 
mined to  be  rid  of  the  old  witch  and  so  drove  her  away 
once  more. 

344 


BOY  OUTWITS  A  NIAGWAHE 


345 


"Tomorrow  I  will  enter  the  lodge  and  eat  her  before 
your  very  eyes.  Now  remember  my  promise  !"  She  screamed 
as  she  trampled  back  through  the  trees. 

The  boy  was  aroused  and  resolved  to  use  every  power 
to  save  his  sister  and  himself,  so  that  night  he  carved  two 
dolls  from  chunks  of  rotten  wood  and  placed  them  upright 
against  the  walls.  Taking  his  sister  he  uttered  certain  magic 
words  and  made  her  very  small.  He  placed  her  within  a 
horn  arrow-tip  and  then  shot  the  arrow  through  the  smoke 
hole.  Leaping  magically  after  the  shaft,  he  followed  and 
picking  up  the  arrow  followed  the  trail  in  the  darkness. 

The  next  morning  the  witch  came  again  this  time  taking 
the  form  of  a  mV'gwahe.  She  tore  down  the  hill  and  pawed 
before  the  lodge  door. 

"I  have  come,  Oh  I  have  come !"  she  said.  "You  can- 
not escape  me  now  for  I  am  mV'gwahe !" 

"Oh  please  stay  away,  we  are  afraid,"  wailed  two  trem- 
ulous voices  inside.  "Spare  us  for  we  are  young.  Oh 
choose  some  older  ones !" 

"Oh  no !"  snorted  the  witch,  "I  have  been  hungering  too 
long  for  you  two,"  and  bursting  into  the  lodge  prepared  to 
seize  the  baby  girl.  She  then  was  disappointed  when  she 
saw  no  trace  of  the  children. 

"I  am  ma"gwahe !"  she  screamed,  "no  one  can  escape 
me !" 

"Doges!  Is  that  very  true?"  asked  small  voices  on 
opposite  sides  of  the  lodge. 

The  witch-beast  looked  about,  and  then  seeing  the  wood- 
en dolls  trampled  down  the  entire  lodge.  Then,  running  in 
an  ever  increasing  circle  she  found  the  boy's  tracks  and  fol- 
lowing them  with  furious  speed  she  screamed,  "I  am 
nla"gwahe,  no  one  can  escape  me !" 

A  short  distance  behind  him  the  boy  heard  her  voice 
and  unable  to  withstand  her  speed  he  planned  to  outwit  her 
by  changing  his  form.  He  took  the  guise  of  an  old  man. 
He  kicked  off  his  moccasins  and  bade  them  run  on  and  make 


346 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


tracks  to  the  end  of  the  earth  or  until  a  hole  appeared  in  the 
soles.  Standing  with  his  arrow  fixed  he  gazed  upward  at  an 
old  robin's  nest  that  stuck  upon  a  dead  branch. 

The  witch-beast  came  crashing  through  the  bushes. 

"Kwe !"  she  screamed. 

"Cii !"  whispered  the  boy,  "do  you  not  see  I  am  watch- 
ing for  game  ?  Age !  I  have  been  waiting  three  years  for 
the  bird  to  perch  back  on  its  nest  and  now  you  have  warned 
it  away  with  your  yells.  Oh  now  you  must  stay  and  help 
me  kill  it  for  I  am  very  hungry." 

"Oh  nonsense !"  exclaimed  the  beast.  "I  am  hungry 
too.  Tell  me  now  old  man,  did  you  see  a  boy  running  by 
here  ?" 

"Cii !"  whispered  the  boy,  "you  will  frighten  my  bird. 
Go  away.  See  those  tracks?  Follow  them  and  leave  me 
to  my  bird !" 

The  nia"gwahe  struck  the  trail  and  followed  the  tracks 
of  the  moccasins  through  the  forests  and  swamps  and  when 
many  days  had  been  spent  she  came  to  a  log  and  on  it  were 
two  moccasins  with  holes  in  the  soles  and  no  tracks  beyond 
or  around  save  those  she  had  followed. 

"Ag! !"  screamed  the  beast,  overwhelmed  with  chagrin. 
"He  has  deceived  me.  Now  I  know  he  was  the  old  man 
who  gazed  at  the  old  nest  and  sent  me  away !  Oh  he  shall 
not  escape  me  for  I  am  nia"gwahe !" 

In  the  meantime  the  boy  had  been  running  as  fast  as 
his  legs  and  his  magic  would  bear  him  but  after  a  time  he 
heard  a  far  away  call.   "I  am  ma"gwahe,  he  cannot  escape  !" 

"Oh  uncle,"  said  the  boy  as  he  caught  sight  of  an  old 
spider,  "help  me  to  escape,  a  nla"gwahe  is  pursuing  me  to 
eat  my  sister  and  me." 

"I  am  your  friend,"  said  the  old  spider  as  he  unrolled  a 
net  and  spread  it  over  the  ground  in  all  directions.  Away 
sped  the  boy  and  soon  the  witch-beast  came  bounding  into 
sight.  Seeing  her  victim's  tracks,  she  rushed  squarely  into 
the  net  and  became  badly  entangled.    Very  furiously  she 


BOY  OUTWITS  A  NIAGWAHE 


347 


wrestled  with  the  snare  endeavoring  to  become  disentangled 
and  when  at  last  she  did  the  boy  was  far  away. 

In  an  evil  temper  at  the  delay  the  witch-beast  snorted 
wildly  as  she  ran  to  the  north,  in  which  direction  the  boy 
had  gone. 

"I  am  nia"gwahe,  you  cannot  escape  me,"  she  screeched 
as  she  ran  and  the  fleeing  boy  hearing  her  boast  ran  faster 
than  ever,  until  he  saw  a  boy  with  a  basket  of  pigeon  feath- 
ers, he  stopped. 

"Save  me !"  he  cried,  "give  me  your  basket !"  and  snatch- 
ing it  from  the  owner  he  scattered  the  feathers  to  the  winds 
crying,  "Be  pigeons  and  stop  witches !" 

Instantly  the  feathers  were  transformed  into  myriads  of 
pigeons  who  flying  in  clouds,  sent  down  a  kind  of  rain  that 
covered  the  ground  for  miles  around  with  a  slime  so  deep 
and  slippery  that  no  creature  could  wade  through  it. 

Nla"gwahe  rushed  into  the  slime  and  sinking  into  the 
depths  wallowed  and  struggled  until  almost  exhausted. 
Finally  she  was  able  to  get  back  to  its  border  and  ran 
madly  onward.  "I  am  ma"gwahe,  no  one  can  escape  me !" 
she  called,  for  it  was  her  magic  to  say  these  words. 

The  boy  heard  her  voice  and  holding  fast  to  the  precious 
arrow,  in  which  his  sister  was  hidden,  he  hurried  toward  a 
false  face  man  whom  he  saw  dancing  about  a  tree. 

"Oh  grandfather !"  he  cried,  "save  me.  NTa"gwahe  is 
after  me !" 

The  false  face  held  out  his  hand  for  tobacco  and  the  boy 
gave  him  some.  Then  he  pointed  his  hand  toward  a  large 
cliff  from  which  smoke  issued. 

The  boy  darted  forward,  and  after  him,  close  pursuing, 
was  the  witch.  The  false  face  halted  the  creature  and  de- 
manded tobacco,  but  the  witch  being  in  the  form  of  a 
nla"gwahe  could  not  give  it  unless  she  became  her  human 
self.  This  she  knew  meant  delay,  but  the  false  face  was 
insistent  and  then  she  was  forced  to  shake  off  the  beast 
form  and  give  the  tribute.    It  is  woe  to  those  who  deny 


348 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  false  faces,  and  she  knew  it.  Then  she  resumed  her 
heast  shape  and  galloped  onward. 

The  boy  ran  toward  a  rock  and  when  he  saw  a  small 
hole  he  entered  and  then  crawled  into  a  spacious  cavern.  A 
woman  within  was  boiling  bear's  oil. 

"Save  me !"  cried  the  boy  as  the  nia"gwahe  snorted  at 
the  entrance  and  forced  in  its  head. 

The  beast  struggled.  It  was  trapped.  The  woman  lifted 
her  pot  of  boiling  oil  and  threw  it  upon  the  face  of  the 
witch-beast.  A  man  forced  out  its  carcass  with  a  club  and 
shot  arrows  into  a  black  spot  on  its  feet. 

"I  am  your  mother,"  said  the  woman. 

"I  am  your  father,"  said  the  man,  "we  were  rescued 
from  death  by  the  false  faces." 

"And  I  am  your  daughter,"  said  a  voice  as  the  boy  un- 
capped his  arrow,  "and  my  brother  has  saved  me !" 


58.    NIA"GWAHE  THE  MAMMOTH  BEAR.1 

In  the  olden  times  in  the  valley  of  the  Docioweh  lived 
a  newly  married  couple.  Their  lodge  was  far  back  by  the 
big  rocks  and  when  danger  threatened  they  hid  in  the  caves. 

After  a  time  there  came  to  the  young  wife  two  baby 
boys.  When  the  twins  were  five  weeks  old  the  mother  died. 
The  father  was  at  first  dumb  with  grief  for  his  heart  was 
very  heavy.    Then  looking  up  toward  the  heavens  he  sang, 

"I  see  a  hemlock  tree.  It  has  but  two  branches.  The 
tree  is  twisted  in  the  hurricane  and  is  broken  midway.  The 
two  remaining  branches  on  the  stub  are  thrashing  in  the 
gale.  The  tree  is  I.  My  wife  is  broken  from  me  and  my 
children  are  in  the  storm !  Let  me  burn  tobacco,  the  wind 
will  cease ;  let  mie  burn  tobacco  and  my  sorrow  heals.  It 
gives  me  thought !" 

The  dead  mother  had  not  lain  long  on  her  bed  of  spruce 
boughs  when  the  hungry  babes  began  to  cry.  A  sudden 
thought  came  to  the  father.  He  cut  down  two  strings  of 
deer  meat  and  flung  them  into  the  mortar.  Grasping  the 
pestle  he  pounded  the  meat  into  a  powder  and  soaking  it 
in  hot  water  fed  the  liquid  to  his  children.  For  several 
months  they  were  nourished  with  this  and  they  grew  lusty 
and  fat.  When  the  corn  was  ripe,  "in  the  milk,"  the  father 
scraped  the  kernels  from  the  cob  and  pounded  them  in  his 
mortar,  mixed  the  paste  with  water,  skimmed  off  the  gruel 
and  cooked  with  venison  broth,  and  thus  made  a  new  food 
upon  which  the  children  thrived.  When  they  were  a  year 
old  they  ate  the  same  food  that  their  father  did  and  grew 
tall  and  strong. 

The  years  went  by  and  they  grew  vigorous  and  lithe 
and  became  expert  runners  often  keeping  pace  with  the 
swiftest  of  the  tribe.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  one  of  them  ran 
a  race  with  a  deer  and  falling  exhausted  died.    And  the 

l  Related  by  George  D.  Jimerson  (Tahadondeh),  June,  1903,  at 
the  Silverheels'  homestead,  Cattaraugus  Reservation. 

349 


350 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


father  sorrowed  again  and  became  melancholy.  After  the 
death  of  his  brother  the  other  seemed  to  double  in  strength 
of  body  and  mind.  His  name  was  Hahyennoweh  mean- 
ing the  Swift  Runner.  In  this  son  the  father  took  great 
pride  for  it  was  his  sole  remaining  "branch."  Thus  he  in- 
structed him  in  every  art  known  to  the  hunter  and  warrior. 

Hahyennoweh  was  a  skilled  bowman  but  as  he  developed 
greater  speed  in  running  he  came  to  believe  the  bow  and 
arrow  coward's  weapons. 

"A  fight  to  death  and  face  to  face  is  the  only  fitting 
way,"  he  said. 

With  this  idea  in  his  mind  and  a  sharp  flint  in  his  belt, 
he  broke  his  bows  and  snapped  his  arrows.  Then  when  he 
wished  to  slay  an  animal  he  would  pursue  it  and  when  it 
fell  exhausted  he  would  wait  until  it  recovered  its  breath 
and  strength,  slit  its  throat  and  carry  it  home.  Bear,  deer, 
elk,  moose  and  buffalo  all  fell  victims  of  his  speed. 

Like  every  brave  and  skillful  man  he  loved  to  boast  of 
his  power,  and  no  one  ever  made  a  statement  of  their  skill 
lest  he  exclaimed,  "Ho,  that  is  nothing!  I  am  braver  than 
that  for  I  am  the  most  skillful  of  all  the  tribe !" 

The  father  began  to  worry  about  this  fault  of  his  son's, 
for  it  was  a  serious  one.  His  entire  conversation  was  self 
praise,  which  while  excusable  when  indulged  in  occasionally, 
was  unpardonable  when  continued  forever.  Wishing  to 
warn  him  the  father  spoke  to  the  boastful  young  warrior. 
"Son,  I  am  your  father,  hear  me !"  he  said.  "You  must  not 
brag  or  boast  yourself  hereafter!" 

But  the  son  merely  laughed  and  replied,  "Father,  I  do 
not.   I  speak  truth  !" 

"But,  my  son,"  the  father  entreated,  "the  animals  will 
hear  you, — will  hear  your  boasting  and  out  of  revenge  will 
slay  you." 

"No,  I  think  not,  father,"  he  replied,  "for  no  animal 
can  outrun  me,  not  a  beast  in  all  this  forest." 

"Son !"  the  father  spoke  gravely,  "think  wisely  and  hold 


NIAGWAHE,  THE  MONSTER  BEAR 


351 


your  tongue.  The  winds  will  steal  your  words  for  mischief 
and  the  magically  endowed  animals  will  know  it.  Then,  my 
son, — then  I  shall  lose  you !" 

"Father,"  replied  the  son,  "I  shall  ever  boast  if  speak- 
ing truth  is  boasting!" 

The  father  continued  his  warnings  but  Hahyennoweh 
only  laughed  and  bounded  back  into  the  forest. 

One  evening  Hahyennoweh  came  home  after  an  exciting 
race  and  began  again  to  boast  his  prowess.  Sadly  the 
father  looked  at  him,  and  said  sorrowfully,  "Son,  again  I 
bid  you  to  cease  your  boasting.  Evil  will  befall  you  for 
I  feel  it."   But  the  son  was  asleep. 

A  knock  sounded  at  the  door  and  the  father  pushed  aside 
the  bear  skin  curtain  saying,  "Dahdjoh!"  "Gahdjih!"  said 
a  voice  and  the  father  went  out.  A  stranger  stepped  from 
a  shadow. 

"I  have  come,"  said  he,  "to  tell  you  that  the  animals 
have  heard  your  son's  voice.  They  have  heard  his  auda- 
cious voice  and  his  unseemly  boasting.  They  have  felt  his 
knife  and  died.  They  have  chosen  me  and  I  have  come  to 
him.  I  have  come  to  tell  him  he  must  race  me.  I  am  the 
chosen  one  to  race  him  from  the  sun-rise  to  the  sun-set. 
We  race  the  way  the  sun  goes.  If  I  win,  then  I  shall  kill 
him.  If  I  lose  then  he  shall  slay  me.  Tell  him  he  must 
meet  me  at  the  windfall." 

Awaking,  the  son  heard  the  voices  outside  and  when  the 
father  pushed  aside  the  curtain  to  re-enter  he  began  to 
question  him.  The  father's  brow  was  wrinkled,  his  cheek 
had  a  gray  color.   He  had  sorrow  in  his  voice. 

He  spoke  "My  son,  you  are  all  I  have  and  you  have 
loudly  boasted  about  running  swiftly.  Did  you  not  hear 
my  advising  words  of  caution?  Did  you  not  hear  my 
entreaties?  Nia"gwahe  has  been  here  and  spoken  to  me. 
You  have  heard  our  talk  together.  You  will  be  hurt  by 
him.  Hahyennoweh!  My  only  son  I  believe  that  you  will 
perish !" 


352 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


Hahyennoweh  smiled,  and  then  laughed  at  his  father  say- 
ing, "Nia"gwahe  is  an  old  and  foolish  creature.  So  it  is 
only  he  who  makes  this  challenge !  Chisnah !  He  should 
know  that  I  am  the  champion  of  runners.  Father,  tell  me 
more  particularly  about  him,  I  would  like  to  know  how  to 
feel  afraid,  but  what  you  have  said  does  not  make  me 
afraid." 

Turning,  the  father  answered,  "Nia"gwahe  is  a  mighty 
conjurer.  He  can  change  his  form  to  suit  him  any  time  he 
wishes.  He  has  never  once  been  beaten  in  a  race.  Now 
you  had  better  go  to  sleep  and  let  me  think  about  it  and 
when  I  am  done  I  shall  awaken  you."  So  the  son  drew 
his  blanket  over  his  head  and  went  back  to  his  dreaming. 

Seizing  the  pestle,  the  father  pounded  parched  corn  and 
maple  sugar  together  and  moistening  the  meal  molded  it 
into  a  cake  and  put  it  into  a  rawhide  bag.  After  awhile  he 
awakened  his  son  for  he  had  been  thinking  as  he  had 
worked. 

"Son,  awake !"  he  said.  "I  have  been  thinking  and  now 
I  will  advise  you.  The  small  humming  bird  is  the  swiftest 
of  all  the  feathers  and  Nia"gwahe  has  never  had  a  race  with 
him.  In  your  cap  I  am  going  to  put  two  feathers  from  the 
humming  bird's  breast ;  they  are  a  race  charm." 

The  father  did  not  want  to  sleep  that  night  but  sat  and 
threw  pinches  of  oyankkwaoweh,  the  sacred  tobacco,  on  a 
small  fire  to  calm  his  fears  and  give  him  power  with  medi- 
cine spirits. 

Before  the  sunrise  the  son  awoke  and  going  down  the 
trail  to  the  creek  took  his  morning  plunge  and  returned  to 
eat  his  venison.  Finishing  his  meal,  he  shook  his  father's 
hand  and  said,  "Oneh,  now  I  am  going."  His  limbs  felt 
strong  and  elastic  for  he  had  rubbed  them  well  with  plenty 
of  oil.  As  he  ran  he  thought  he  would  like  to  test  his  jump- 
ing power, — just  for  luck, — and  nearing  the  windfall,  judged 
its  breadth  seven  times  his  length.  Increasing  his  speed  he 
gave  a  great  leap  and  cleared  it.   "Ho  !"  said  he,  "I  am  ready 


NIAGWAHE,  THE  MONSTER  BEAR 


353 


for  any  race  in  the  world  and  ready  for  Nia"gwahe,  the 
beast-conjurer.  My  legs  move  of  their  own  accord  and  my 
feathers  give  me  power.  Now  where  is  this  old  thing  that 
gives  me  a  challenge?" 

Just  as  he  spoke  there  was  a  loud  snort,  and  looking  up 
he  saw  the  monster. 

The  sun  was  about  to  go  under  the  rim  of  the  sky,  over 
Onondasdaht,  the  big  hill.  Hahyennoweh  spoke,  "Shall  we 
race  now?  I  am  ready,  it  is  sunrise!"  But  Nia"gwahe 
did  not  answer.  He  simply  blew  wind  through  his  nose  and' 
started  running. 

The  monster's  path  was  toward  a  swamp  and  Hahyenno- 
weh followed  after.  The  great  beast  ran  very  fast  through 
clumps  of  bushes,  just  as  easily  as  the  son  ran  over  grass. 
Saplings,  stumps  and  trees  fell  before  the  big  animal.  For 
about  five  miles  the  son  labored  through  the  muck  and 
tangles,  and  then  seeing  that  these  obstacles  were  too  much 
for  his  style  of  running,  concluded  that  it  would  not  be 
wise  to  follow  much  longer  through  the  swamp-land.  He, 
therefore,  decided  to  return  to  the  starting  point  and  take 
his  route  over  the  high  ridge  that  curved  for  miles  around 
the  big  swamp.  Toward  noon,  when  he  had  circled  it,  and 
had  run  miles  beyond,  he  saw  Nia"gwahe  far  in  the  dis- 
tance. Increasing  his  speed  he  soon  reached  the  animal 
with  the  exclamation,  "Ho-hoh,  I  am  up  to  you !"  But  the 
mammoth  bear  only  replied,  "Ungh  wooh !"  The  son  saw 
that  the  Nia"gwahe  was  very  tired  and  as  he  ran  beside  him 
he  said,  "Kway  Nia"gwahe!  Adekoni,  it  is  time  for  eat- 
ing!" But  the  beast  with  heavy  breathing  kept  on  running. 
Hahyennoweh,  the  Swift  Runner,  paused  in  the  race,  and 
sitting  down  on  a  stone,  took  a  swallow  of  water  and  slowly 
chewed  a  handful  of  parched  corn  and  sugar.  He  rested 
for  a  while  after  his  meal  and  then  after  a  swim  in  the 
brook,  near  by,  he  started  on  his  race  again. 

When  the  sun  was  mid- way  from  the  high  heavens  to 
its  setting,  the  son  caught  up  to  the  beast  again.  "Ho-hoh, 


354 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


I  am  up  to  you,  old  opossum !"  he  said,  but  the  huge  animal 
was  too  tired  even  to  grunt.  A  stream  of  water  poured 
from  his  body  leaving  in  his  tracks  a  muddy  streak  and  his 
big  sides  bulged  within  and  without. 

Again  Hahyennoweh  sat  down  and  rested,  for  besides  the 
giving  of  rest  it  made  greater  excitement.  Taking  up 
the  race  again  the  son  ran  over  the  path  made  by  the  mon- 
ster. On  and  on  he  sped  but  Nia"gwahe  was  nowhere  with- 
in range.  The  path  that  he  had  made  was  a  line  that  ran 
beyond  the  eye's  reach.  He  increased  his  speed  but  even 
then  Nia"gwahe  was  not  to  be  discovered.  Then  he  began 
to  get  frightened  and  wondered  if  the  monster  called  into 
play  his  magic  powers.  It  seemed  so  for  though  Swift 
Runner  ran  his  swiftest  the  beast  seemed  to  run  still  swifter. 
But  he  did  not  despair  but  kept  on  his  journey,  hopeful  that 
his  charms  would  be  strong.  After  a-while,  far  in  the  dis- 
tance, was  a  small  speck  that  grew  larger  as  Hahyennoweh 
ran  toward  it.  That  made  him  run  faster  and  after  some 
time  he  overtook  the  magic  monster.  It  was  nearly  dark 
when  Hahyennoweh  caught  up  to  the  beast  and  it  was 
none  too  soon  for  the  race  was  almost  over.  He  was  very 
tired  but  as  courageous  and  boastful  as  ever,  so  Hahwen- 
noweh  said,  "Ho  hoh,  I'm  up  to  you  again !  You  are  no 
runner !  Who  said  you  could  run,  you  have  been  flattered. 
You  are  an  ugly  old  woman  to  be  flattered.  You  run  just 
like  a  lame  old  woman.  You  have  forgotten  how  to  run. 
No  you  never  knew  how  to  run  at  all.  Just  let  me  show 
you  how  to  run.  I'll  never  let  you  catch  me  as  I  have  you. 
Oh  you  are  very  slow  like  a  three-legged  turtle.  Now  see 
me  run !" 

The  young  warrior  ran  ahead  with  very  great  speed  over 
the  plain  until  he  saw  the  sun  hang  low  and  red  over  the 
hills.  Then  looking  back,  he  saw  a  small  speck.  Two 
thoughts  came  into  his  mind.  The  first  that  he  should  go 
back  and  kill  the  beast,  as  the  sun  sank  below  the  hills,  and 
the  second  that  perhaps  the  monster  was  shaming  and 


NIAGWAHE,  THE  MONSTER  BEAR 


355 


would  speed  ahead  should  he  retrace  his  steps.  But  in  a 
moment  he  laughed  at  this  second  thought  and  was  not 
afraid.  Running  back  he  saw  that  the  Nia"gwahe  had 
fallen,  unable  longer  to  stand  the  strain  of  the  contest.  His 
panting  was  so  great  that  he  blew  up  leaves  and  sticks  high 
in  the  air  and  bent  the  saplings  about  him. 

The  sun  disappeared  and  the  evening  star  shone  bright 
in  the  sky.  It  was  twilight  and  Hahyennoweh  stood  look- 
ing at  the  fallen  big  meat  before  him.  He  grasped  the 
small  blow  gun  from  his  back  and  fixed  a  small  sharpened 
arrow.  He  aimed  for  a  dark  spot  on  the  left  front  foot  of 
the  animal.  He  shot  and  the  heaving  sides  no  longer  took 
in  wind.   The  beast  died  where  he  fell. 

It  was  getting  dark  and  the  Swift  Runner  was  tired  by 
his  race,  so  he  lay  down  beneath  a  high  tree  and  went  to 
sleep. 

The  Return. 

When  he  awoke  the  next  morning  he  found  himself 
wondering  what  could  be  on  the  road  through  the  swamp, — 
the  route  chosen  by  the  Nia"gwahe.  "Surely  it  must  be 
some  mischief,"  he  thought,  "or  he  would  not  have  been  so 
maddened  when  I  ran  on  the  ridge.  I  think  the  monster 
grew  so  slow  was  because  he  was  mad.  I  must  explore  the 
swamp  and  find  the  evil." 

The  huge  beast  in  his  mad  race  had  beaten  a  good  path 
through  the  swamp,  which  the  son  proceeded  to  follow. 
After  a  journey  of  ten  miles  he  made  a  discovery.  The  foot- 
prints of  a  hostile  people,  the  marks  of  the  enemy's  moc- 
casins, were  fresh  in  the  path.  Hahyennoweh  advanced 
with  caution  and  as  it  grew  dark  he  saw  ahead  of  him  two 
fires.  Hidden  in  the  underbrush  were  temporary  shelters 
erected  by  a  hostile  war  party.  Home  was  but  five  miles 
distant  and  the  son  crept  noiselessly  past  the  encampment 
and  sped  toward  his  father's  lodge.  In  the  moonlight  he 
saw  a  deer  with  very  large  legs.   He  looked  still  closer.  The 


356 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


deer  had  men's  legs  and  wore  leather  leggings !  The  truth 
flashed  upon  his  mind.  Two  of  the  enemy  were  recon- 
noitering  and  were  planning  an  attack  before  the  sunrise ! 

Entering  the  lodge  he  greeted  his  father  and  gave  him 
the  beast's  tusk,  the  big  tooth  that  sticks  out.  The  father 
received  it  without  a  comment  and  continued  his  smoking. 
Then  very  loudly  the  son  exclaimed,  "I've  seen  a  deer.  I 
am  going  to  out-run  him.  I  am  going  now  to  race  him !" 
Then  in  a  lower  tone  he  added,  "I  will  return  soon,  father, 
and  tell  you  of  my  adventure,  but  wait." 

Grasping  a  stone  axe  he  ran  out  in  search  of  the  strange 
deer.  At  length  he  espied  it  back  of  the  lodge,  peering  in 
at  his  father.  Creeping  up  with  stealth  the  son  struck  the 
strange  animal  a  crushing  blow  between  the  shoulders,  the 
hatchet  sank  deep  and  the  forequarters  of  the  deer  dropped 
to  the  earth  without  a  sound.  Quickly  snatching  the  skin 
he  wrapped  it  around  the  hind  quarters  and  led  them  strug- 
gling into  the  lodge. 

"Well  father  here  is  the  deer  of  which  I  told  you !  Let 
us  skin  him  and  see  what  is  inside !  Unwrapping  the  skin 
he  revealed  the  captive,  who,  nearly  smothered,  was  too 
feeble  to  further  resist.  Hahyennoweh  flung  him  into  a 
corner  and  began  to  ply  him  with  questions.  "How  many 
of  you  are  there  in  the  swamp?  Why  came  you  to  kill  my 
people?  Where  is  your  party  hidden?  What  chief  sent 
you?  Who  is  your  leader?  Are  any  other  tribesmen  with 
you?"  These  and  other  questions  he  asked  him.  Bidding 
the  captive  lead  the  way  Hahyennoweh  advanced  toward 
the  enemy's  camp  and  reached  it  about  midnight.  He  lashed 
the  captive  to  a  tree  and  stopped  his  mouth.  The  sleeping 
warriors  were  not  aware  of  danger  and  never  moved  as 
they  slept.  Lifting  high  his  hatchet  Hahyennoweh  struck 
the  sleepers.  Forty-two  times  he  struck  and  each  time  killed 
an  enemy  and  the  captive  bound  against  the  tree  saw  it  all. 
"Ha"degaiiwio' !"  he  exclaimed  as  the  last  sleeper  was 
struck  and  then  turning  to  the  terrified  man  bound  to  the 


NIAGWAHE,  THE  MONSTER  BEAR 


357 


tree  he  said  "lis  nevva,  now  you !"  He  lifted  his  toma- 
hawk but  paused  as  he  was  about  to  strike  then  lifting  it 
again  let  it  fall  with  a  blow  the  shook  the  tree.  But  it  had 
not  touched  the  man,  the  blow  was  not  aimed  at  him,  but 
instead  it  cut  the  thongs  and  set  the  captive  free.  "Now  go 
with  all  your  speed  and  tell  your  tribe  not  to  send  war 
parties  against  us  again  for  we  have  strong  medicine  and 
cannot  be  harmed."   The  captive  thought  so. 

That  night  as  the  son  sat  at  the  fire  in  the  lodge  with 
his  father  stretching  the  scalps  on  hoops  he  told  the  story 
of  his  great  race  but  not  in  a  boastful  way.  His  great  deeds 
had  made  it  necessary  for  him  to  boast  no  longer,  for  if  he 
should  men  would  laugh  and  say,  "Hoh,  you  did  better  than 
that  once !"  So  never  after  did  he  boast  but  took  a  good 
woman  who  had  asked  him  to  marry  her. 

In  after  years  he  told  the  story  of  the  race  again,  that 
the  tribe  might  not  forget  it,  but  his  grandchildren  were  un- 
believing. "Show  us  the  spot  and  the  bones  and  then  we 
will  glory  in  our  grandfather,"  they  said  laughing.  So,  un- 
daunted, the  old  man  whose  name  was  changed  to  Nia"gwa- 
hegowa,  (Mighty  Magical  Bear),  in  recognition  of  his  great 
race,  took  his  grandchildren  on  the  journey  and  showed 
them  the  place  where  the  beast  had  fallen.  They  dug  into 
the  soft  soil  and  found  the  hugh  bones  and  the  jaw  where 
he  had  broken  out  the  tusk. 

The  Indian  story  teller  adds :  "White  man  find  bones 
right  where  the  Nia"gwahe  fell  long  after,  to  this  day.  Put 
them  in  big  musees,  so  story  real  true  I  guess !" 


59.    THE  BOY  AND  THE  NIA"GWAHE. 

The  Five  Nations  had  waged  a  war  with  the  Snake 
People  who  lived  in  caves  (the  Cherokee).  The  Five  Na- 
tions became  exhausted.  Both  began  to  see  that  the  cause 
was  not  worth  such  a  loss  of  life,  and  so  a  treaty  of  peace 
was  made.  Each  party  promised  to  send  warriors,  women 
and  families  to  settle  with  the  other,  and  thus,  by  mutual 
adoptions  and  inter-marriage  weave  a  bond  of  friendship. 

The  day  arrived  for  the  mutual  emigrations,  and  pa- 
tiently the  Five  Nations  awaited  the  coming  of  their  visi- 
tors, but  none  came,  nor  could  news  be  obtained  of  their 
own  party.  A  messenger  was  dispatched  but  he  never  re- 
turned. More  were  sent  but,  likewise,  they  never  came  back 
to  report.  At  last  the  chiefs  called  a  council  to  devise  means 
to  get  to  the  land  of  their  former  enemies  and  learn  how 
the  party  and  the  messengers  had  fared.  A  new  messenger 
was  chosen  from  the  bravest  of  the  warriors  and  a  short 
distance  behind  a  watcher  followed.  For  two  days  all  was 
well,  but  on  the  third  the  watcher  looking  ahead  on  the  trail 
saw  the  messenger  crawling  laboriously  along.  Running 
toward  him  he  found  him  wounded,  stripped  of  all  clothing 
and  bleeding  from  tusk  wounds  and  heavy  bruises. 

Nia"gwahe !"  whispered  the  man  hoarsely,  and  fell  dead. 

The  runner  dashed  down  the  trail  crying,  "Gowe' ! 
Gowe' !" 

A  council  was  hastily  called  and  the  fate  of  the  messen- 
ger discussed. 

"Age !  So  it  is  Nia"gwahe  who  has  been  destroying  our 
people  and  not  our  allies,"  said  the  chief.  "Truly  now,  some 
one  must  be  found  who  is  able  and  willing  to  destroy  the 
evil.  A  brave  one  must  he  be  for  he  will  battle  with  the 
most  powerful  of  all  beast  magic.  He  who  grasps  this  white 
wampum  belt  shall  be  the  chosen  man  and  he  shall  have  the 
belt  'on  his  body'." 

358 


BOY  AND  THE  NIAGWAHE 


359 


The  chief  circled  the  council,  holding  the  belt  before 
every  man  but  no  one  moved  or  lifted  a  hand. 

"What !"  said  the  chief,  "are  real  men  cowards !  Has 
no  one  a  heart  and  mind  and  arm  strong  enough  to  take 
this  belt !" 

Standing  in  the  doorway  of  the  council  house  was  a  boy, 
awkward  in  figure  and  uneven  of  feature.  His  parents  were 
dead  and  his  home  was  with  his  grandparents.  He  was 
accounted  of  a  lowly  family  and  as  of  foolish  mind.  The 
chief  wished  to  make  a  laugh  to  break  the  seriousness  of 
the  situation  and  so  called  out,  "Why  not  try  Tedo' !"  The 
chief  did  not  smile  although  the  entire  assembly  laughed, 
but  holding  the  beautiful  belt  out  to  the  boy  said,  "Are  you 
Ongwehoweh  ?" 

The  boy  grasped  the  belt  and  threw  it  over  his  shoulder. 

"Do  you  know  what  you  have  done?"  asked  the  chief 
solemnly. 

The  boy  nodded  his  head  and  clasping  the  wampum  ran 
from  the  council  to  his  grandmother's  lodge. 

"Oh  grandmother !"  he  cried,  "I  have  taken  the  belt  to 
kill  the  nia"gwahe,  he  who  blocks  trail  to  our  new  'friend'." 

"What,  you !"  exclaimed  the  grandmother.  "Why  you 
are  nothing  but  a  ragged  simpleton !" 

"Well  hurry  then,  and  prepare  my  owis'ha,"  said  the 
boy,  "for  I  am  to  kill  ma"gwahe  and  need  food  for  my 
journey." 

The  old  woman  pounded  the  parched  corn  and  mixed  it 
with  maple  sugar. 

"Now  be  off,"  she  said,  "you  and  your  dog !" 

The  boy  started  down  the  path  talking  to  his  dog.  "I 
will  not  yield,  I  will  demand  yielding,"  he  said.  "I  will  not 
be  pursued,  I  will  pursue,  I  will  not  see  failure,  I  will  suc- 
ceed." 

For  two  days  he  journeyed  down  the  trail  that  led  to  the 
allies'  country.  At  dawn  on  the  third  day  there  was  a  wild 
trampling  in  the  forest  and  from  the  thicket  rushed  the 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


ni"gwahe.  The  dog  rushed  forward  with  a  yelp  but  the 
great  beast  merely  opened  his  jaws  and  drew  in  a  breath 
and  with  it  the  dog  flew  down  his  throat. 

Picking  up  a  stump,  the  boy  dashed  forward,  yelling, 
"I  am  after  you,  you  cannot  escape  me  !" 

Now  it  happens  that  these  words  are  the  very  ones  used 
by  a  nia"gwahe  when  it  pursues  its  prey,  and  such  a  charm 
have  these  words,  that,  as  the  beast  repeats  them,  animals 
and  men  become  weak  and  fall  down  as  victims  of  the  crea- 
ture's cunning.  When  this  nia"gwahe  heard  its  own  cry 
flung  back  in  its  face,  it  was  surprised.  Its  own  words  were 
turned  into  its  own  ears.  Then  the  great  beast  turned  and 
fled. 

"Ha,  ha !"  laughed  the  boy,  "you  cannot  escape  me !" 

All  day  the  ma"gwahe  fled  from  the  boy  who  pursued  it 
crying  shriller  and  sharper,  "I  am  after  you,  you  cannot 
escape  me !" 

The  sun  began  to  set  and  the  boy  sat  down  on  a  log  to 
eat  his  owis'ha  with  a  little  water,  but  when  he  opened  his 
pouch  he  found  his  food  a  mass  of  wriggling  maggots. 

"Age!"  he  exclaimed,  "this  does  not  discourage  me," 
and  leaping  from  his  seat,  he  took  up  the  chase  again,  fol- 
lowing closely  upon  the  heels  of  the  ma"gwahe.  "Oho' !" 
he  cried,  "You  are  the  one  for  whom  I  am  looking!  Very 
soon  I  will  kill  you." 

The  sun  went  under  the  hills  and  the  black  night  came. 

"Age,  I  am  tired  now,  nTa"gwahe,  and  must  rest,"  he 
said,  "but  I  will  kill  you  as  soon  as  I  get  time." 

The  beast  trembled  and  ran  on  a  short  distance  in  the 
vain  hope  of  escape  but  returning  put  his  nose  to  the  boy's 
ear. 

"Kwe !"  he  whispered,   "Are  you  asleep?" 

"No,  not  yet,"  replied  the  boy  with  a  yawn. 

"Well  then,"  continued  the  beast,  "I  wish  to  tell  you  that 
I  know  I  am  defeated,  but  oh  spare  me,  I  beg  of  you,  spare 
me !    Have  mercy  and  do  not  kill  and  I  will  flee  from  the 


BOY  AND  THE  NIAGWAHE 


361 


land  of  men  and  hide  in  the  icy  north,  never  more  to  dis- 
turb or  devour  men." 

"Ho  ho !  this  is  your  trick,"  laughed  the  boy,  with  a 
sneer.  "No  mercy  for  you,  you  deserve  only  death.  Hold 
up  your  foot  and  show  me  the  spot !" 

"Oh  no,  no,  no,"  begged  the  nla"gwahe  plaintively.  "Let 
me  live  and  as  a  pledge  of  my  truthfulness  I  will  give  you 
my  teeth." 

The  boy  debated  with  himselt  and  tnen  asked,  "What 
profit  are  teeth  ?" 

"My  teeth  are  my  magic,"  answered  the  creature,  "and 
my  magic  is  his  who  holds  my  teeth." 

"Well  now,"  said  the  boy  slowly,  "if  your  teeth  will 
bring  fortune  to  men  I  will  accept  them,  but  if  ever  you 
visit  again  the  haunts  of  men,  remember  that  I  am  the 
mightiest  of  wizards !" 

With  many  groans  the  beast  shed  his  teeth,  crying,  "All 
my  magic  strength  and  power  are  his  who  holds  these 
teeth." 

The  boy  threw  them  in  his  pouch  and  bade  the  monster 
depart  forever.  The  boy  rested  for  some  time  and  then 
ran  with  all  speed  to  the  land  of  the  allies.  He  called  a 
council  and  told  his  story. 

"We  thought  your  nation  had  destroyed  our  people 
whom  we  sent  to  you,"  said  the  chief  of  the  allies  at  the 
close  of  the  boy's  speech. 

"We  also  thought  the  same  of  you,"  answered  the  boy. 

The  boy  departed  for  his  own  village  and  held  a  great 
council,  telling  all  he  had  seen,  heard  and  done.  The  people 
were  astonished  beyond  measure  and  cried,  "Oh,  tell  us  how 
you  became  powerful !   What  are  your  charm  medicines  ?" 

"This,"  said  the  boy,  "I  grasped  the  white  belt,  I  went 
and  would  not  be  pursued,  neither  would  I  fear." 

"But  all  thought  you  a  fool,"  said  the  people. 

"Perhaps  I  am,"  answered  the  boy,  "if  silence  and  ob- 


362 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


servation  mean  I  am  only  dull.  But  I  only  thought  I  would 
hold  my  mouth  until  my  ears  rilled  up." 

Then  all  the  people  shouted  and  called  him  a  great  chief. 

Thus  were  the  nations  saved,  so  was  the  trail  estab- 
lished and  so  was  the  nia"gwahe  slain. 

Now  this  is  true  and  medicine  men  (Hotci'no'ga)  have 
the  teeth  to  this  day  and  use  them  for  magic. 


TRADITIONS 


EMILY  TALLCHIEF. 


An  informant  on  traditions  and  a  leader  among  the  Christian 
Seneca.  Mrs.  Tallehief  was  the  great  grand-daughter  of  the  fa- 
mous Chief  Cornplanter.    She  was  a  member  of  the  Wolf  Clan. 

Photo  by  E.  C.  Winnegar. 


X. 


SENECA  BELIEF  IN  WITCHCRAFT 

It  will  be  remembered  that  one  of  the  first  major  tests 
of  the  authority  of  the  State  of  New  York  over  the  Seneca 
Indians  occurred  in  1821  when  Thomas  Jemmy,  a  Buffalo 
Creek  Indian,  was  indicted  in  a  state  court  for  the  murder 
of  a  witch.  Jemmy  had  been  chosen  executioner  of  the 
witch,  after  the  order  of  tribal  law,  but  his  action  aroused 
the  attention  of  the  neighboring  whites  who  took  court 
action  against  him. 

Jemmy  was  defended  by  Red  Jacket  whose  speech  in 
defense  of  the  accused  man  is  a  classic  of  Indian  oratory. 
The  trial  resulted  in  the  claim  that  state  courts  had  no  juris- 
diction over  the  internal  affairs  of  Indian  tribes,  and  Jemmy 
was  acquitted. 

This  incident  serves  to  call  attention  to  the  very  general 
belief  of  the  Seneca  Indians  in  witchcraft.  Indeed  not  only 
did  the  Indians  believe  in  it,  but  many  of  the  neighboring 
whites.  There  are  many  white  rural  communities  today 
where  belief  in  witches  is  current,  and  one  has  only  to  visit 
the  rural  settlements  about  Reading,  Pa.,  or  read  the  ac- 
counts of  investigations  reported  in  the  Journal  of  Ameri- 
can Folk  Lore,  to  find  how  prevalent  among  the  whites  of 
today  is  the  belief  in  witches. 

Red  Jacket  was  somewhat  familiar  with  history.  In  his 
defense  he  said,  "Go  to  Salem,  and  there  find  a  record  of 
hundreds  persecuted  and  scores  slain  for  the  same  crime  that 
has  brought  down  the  arm  of  vengeance  upon  the  (guilty) 
woman.  .  .  .  What  crime  has  this  man  committed  more 
than  the  rulers  of  your  own  people,  in  carrying  out  in  a 
summary  way  the  laws  of  his  people  and  your  people,  and 
the  laws  of  his  God  and  your  God.  .'..?" 

This  belief  in  witches  and  sorcerers  has  not  been  entirely 

365 


366 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


eradicated  among  the  state  Indians  to  this  day.  All  the 
older  Indians  have  witch  stories  to  tell,  and  some  of  them 
have  had  personal  experience  with  witchcraft.  It  is  not 
considered  good  form  to  talk  about  witches,  for  if  one 
reveals  too  much  knowledge  he  is  apt,  himself,  to  be  accused 
of  the  evil  art.  It  matters  not  whether  the  Indian  is  a 
christian  or  non-christian  as  far  as  witchcraft  is  concerned. 
Both  christians  and  followers  of  Handsome  Lake  express 
a  belief  in  it. 

It  is  customary  for  the  Indians  to  call  all  manner  of 
sorcerers,  "witches."  Both  sexes  are  implied,  and  it  is  to 
be  doubted  that  an  Indian  would  recognize  the  term  wizard, 
though  for  the  sake  of  consistent  English  I  have  employed 
the  term  throughout  this  work.  To  the  Seneca  all  "otgont" 
charm  holders  are  witches  and  capable  of  witchcraft.  An 
Indian  will  seldom  mention  anything  about  witches  to  white 
people  for  fear  of  ridicule,  but  they  admit  that  some  white 
people  know  much  about  the  sinister  art.  The  Tonawanda 
Indians,  for  example,  know  of  a  white  doctor  who  is  cap- 
able of  diagnosing  the  symptoms  of  witch  poisoning,  and  he 
has  a  great  reputation  for  curing  bewitched  patients. 

An  understanding  of  the  Seneca  belief  in  witchcraft  is 
essential  for  an  understanding  of  Seneca  folk-lore,  and  not 
only  folk-lore  but  the  psychology  of  the  group. 

Certainly,  all  through  the  folk-lore  of  the  Seneca,  one 
will  find  a  steady  belief  in  the  ability  of  "powered"  persons 
to  transform  themselves  into  any  sort  of  creature  desired, 
particularly  the  form  of  some  chosen  animal.  One  of  the 
most  common  methods  is  to  have  a  collection  of  animal  pelts 
into  which  the  person  may  enter  and  assume  the  character 
of  the  beast,  but  retaining  human  intelligence.  Most  fre- 
quently in  modern  times  the  witch  is  reputed  to  be  able  to 
become  an  owl,  a  dog  or  a  big  snake. 

To  guard  against  witches  many  Indians  buy  witch 
powder  from  witch  doctors.  By  using  this  properly  the 
witch  is  kept  away  from  the  person  and  his  household. 


BELIEF  IN  WITCHCRAFT 


367 


In  case  of  uncertainty  the  witch  doctor  goes  into  a  trance 
and  prescribes  the  proper  remedy.  Sometimes  a  person  is 
bewitched  by  a  spirit  or  by  a  charm  that  he  has  failed  to 
pacify.  The  charm  then  causes  bad  dreams,  wounds,  brok- 
en bones  and  even  death  in  the  family  unless  satisfied  by 
the  proper  ceremony. 


6o.    CONTENTS  OF  A  CHARM  HOLDER'S 
BUNDLE. 


Edward  Cornplanter  stated  that  a  complete  bundle  of 
charms  (goda'esniyus'ta'kwa),  should  contain  the  following 
articles:  (a)  Scales  of  the  great  horned  serpent  or  some  of 
its  blood;  (b)  round  white  stone  given  possessor  by  a 
pygmy;  (c)  claws  of  the  death  panther  or  fire  beast;  (d) 
feathers  of  dewafyowais,  or  exploding  bird;  (e)  castor  of 
white  beaver;  (f)  otna'yont,  or  sharp  bone;  (g)  gane'ont- 
wut,  or  corn  bug;  (h)  small  mummified  hand;  (i)  hair  of 
dagwanoeient,  or  flying  head  of  the  wind;  (j)  bones  or 
bone  powder  of  the  Nia"gwahe  or  monster  bear;  (k)  small 
flute  or  whistle  from  an  eagles'  wing  bone;  (1)  anti-witch 
powder;  (m)  bag  of  sacred  tobacco;  (n)  claws  or  teeth  of 
various  wild  animals;  (o)  a  small  mortar  and  pestle;  (p) 
a  small  war  club;  (q)  a  small  bow  and  arrow;  (r)  minia- 
ture bowls  and  spoons  of  wood;  (s)  a  small  wooden 
doll;  (t)  clairvoyant  eye-oil.  These  objects  are  called 
otcina'ken"da'. 

Individuals  also  had  other  charms,  as  different  kinds  of 
stones  or  wooden  tablets  that  they  scraped  into  a  powder 
as  "medicine." 

By  consulting  his  bundle  a  charm  holder  could  tell  how 
to  overcome  a  sorcerer's  influence,  or  determine  what  spirit 
had  been  offended  and  needed  propitiation. 

Each  bundle  was  "sung  for"  in  an  appropriate  ceremony 
of  the  charm-holders'  society. 


368 


6i.    CONTENTS  OF  A  WITCH  BUNDLE.1 

In  a  witch  bundle  found  in  an  abandoned  house  of  an 
old  witch,  the  following  articles  were  found : 

i  bundle  containing  miniature  weapons  and  utensils. 

i  bundle  containing  dolls  made  of  some  soft  brown 
wood. 

I  package  of  small  sacks  from  animal  hearts. 
I  ball  of  fine  cord  or  thread, 
i  box  of  dried  snake  blood, 
i  bottle  of  eye  oil. 

i  package  of  hair  of  different  shades, 
i  bundle  containing  packages  of  various  powders. 
I  box  containing  a  collection  of  various  greases, 
i  package  containing  smaller  parcels  of  nail  parings, 
i  package  of  many  wrappings  containing  a  smaller  inner 
package,  with  wet  blood,  and  containing  a  small  sharp  bone. 
I  dried  human  finger. 
Collection  of  snake  skins. 

The  witch  is  also  reputed  to  have  had  a  black  calf  skin, 
and  a  big  dog  skin.  She  was  capable  of  transforming  herself 
and  much  of  the  time  lived  in  a  small  round  pond  as  the 
wife  of  a  monster  black-snake.  When  she  finally  died  and 
was  buried  a  witch  light,  gahai",  was  seen  over  the  pond. 

i    From  notes  supplied  by  Everett  R.  Burmaster. 


369 


62.    OVERCOMING  A  WITCH.1 


A  strong  man  began  to  feel  sick  and  could  not  tell  what 
troubled  him.  He  took  all  kinds  of  medicine  and  went  to 
three  doctors  but  he  grew  steadily  worse.  After  a  while  he 
could  work  no  more  and  went  to  the  home  of  a  friend  for 
help.  His  friend  told  him  to  stay  with  him  until  he  recov- 
ered. 

He  was  given  a  room  on  the  far  side  of  the  house  and 
as  it  had  only  one  window  it  could  be  easily  darkened.  He 
was  very  weak  and  could  eat  only  one  meal  a  day.  This 
caused  him  to  stay  in  bed  most  of  the  time.  After  a  while 
his  friend  said :  "I  am  going  to  go  to  Newtown  after  a  witch 
doctor  who  has  just  come  from  Tonawanda."  So  he  went 
after  the  witch  doctor. 

The  witch  doctor  made  a  poultice  and  placed  it  on  the 
sick  man's  abdomen.  He  covered  the  poultice  with  rags  and 
moss.  The  poultice  was  very  hot  and  appeared  to  be  draw- 
ing something  out  of  the  patient.  Pretty  soon,  the  witch 
doctor  yelled,  "Now  is  the  time,"  and  grabbed  the  poultice 
and  ran  to  the  kitchen  stove  where  he  threw  the  contents 
of  the  poultice  into  the  ash  pan.  Then  he  stirred  into  the 
poultice  and  pulled  out  a  small  sharp  bone  with  a  white 
hair  wound  around  it. 

Everybody  examined  the  bone,  and  finally  the  witch 
doctor  said,  "It  is  my  opinion  that  Widow  —  is  bewitch- 
ing you." 

"Why,  she  calls  here  every  day  to  see  how  he  is,"  said 
the  woman  of  the  house. 

The  witch  doctor  told  her  to  watch  for  the  witch  and 
notice  what  she  did  when  she  came  next  time.  The  sick 
man  did  not  sleep  that  night  but  covered  his  face  and  began 
to  talk  to  himself.    He  was  now  becoming  a  "witch"  him- 


l    Related  by  Fred  Kennedy,  1903. 

370 


OVERCOMING  A  WITCH 


371 


self.  In  his  hand  he  held  the  witch  bone  with  the  hair 
around  it. 

The  next  morning  an  old  woman  left  her  cabin  on  a 
hill  and  started  down  into  the  valley  and  up  another  hill  to 
visit  the  sick  man.  Suddenly  he  began  to  talk.  "Here  she 
comes,"  he  said.  "She  is  now  leaving  her  house.  Now  she 
is  down  by  the  well.  Now  she  is  on  the  road.  Now  she 
is  crossing  the  bridge.  Now  she  is  at  the  gate.  Now  she  is 
walking  up  the  path.  Now  she  is  by  the  apple  tree.  Now 
she  is  at  the  door."  As  he  said  this  there  was  a  rap-rap-rap 
outside  and  the  housewife  opened  the  door,  and  there 
stood  the  old  woman. 

The  old  woman  looked  worried.  "I  couldn't  sleep  last 
night,"  she  said.  "I  worried  too  much  about  Bill,  besides  I 
think  I  have  lost  something."  Then  she  went  in  to  see  the 
sick  man.  He  had  his  head  covered  but  yelled  out,  "You're 
the  one ;  you  leave  me  alone  after  this  or  I  will  kill  you." 

The  old  woman  pretended  she  didn't  know  what  he  was 
talking  about  and  soon  went  out. 

That  night  the  sick  man  talked  to  the  bone.  He  wound 
one  of  his  own  hairs  about  it  and  then  threw  it  at  the  wall, 
saying,  "You  go  back  to  her  and  stick  in  her  heart." 

Everybody  in  the  house  heard  the  bone  fly  through  the 
wall,  for  it  went  "ping !"   Then  the  sick  man  went  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  the  old  witch  didn't  come  so  the  peo- 
ple went  to  her  house  and  it  was  locked.  Someone  climbed 
in  a  window  and  found  her  dead  in  bed.  They  turned  back 
the  quilts  and  found  the  sharp  bone  driven  into  her  heart. 
Nobody  felt  sorry  but  said,  "It  served  her  right ;  she  had 
no  business  witching  people." 


63.    THE  SCORNED  WITCH  WOMAN.1 

There  was  a  beautiful  young  woman,  the  daughter  of  a 
witch.  When  the  old  witch  died  her  husband  wanted  to 
burn  up  her  bundles  of  witch  poisons,  because  he  was  a 
Christian,  but  the  beautiful  daughter  said,  "Father,  let  us 
keep  this  bundle ;  you  never  can  tell  what  might  happen  if 
we  should  destroy  it."    So  she  hid  the  bundle. 

Now,  there  was  a  handsome  young  fellow  living  in  the 
neighborhood  and  he  came  to  the  house  once  or  twice  to  see 
her  father.  The  young  woman  determined  to  get  this  young 
man  so  she  made  witch  medicine  and  put  it  in  his  cider 
when  he  visited  the  house  the  next  time.  It  was  night  and 
when  the  young  man  went  out  to  go  home  she  went  out  the 
back  door  and  followed  him.  Pretty  soon  she  coughed 
and  he  looked  around.  Then  she  called  him  and  he  asked 
her  what  she  wanted.  She  asked  him  to  sit  down  on  a  log 
by  the  road.  They  stayed  there  quite  a  while.  After  a  while 
the  girl  said,  "Why  don't  we  two  get  married  ?"  The  young 
fellow  replied,  "What  is  the  use?"   Then  he  went  home. 

Now  he  had  just  secretly  married  another  girl  from  Cold 
Spring  and  he  went  to  her  house.  Pretty  soon  she  said, 
"You  have  been  somewhere.  You  have  been  visiting  some 
other  woman."    She  then  scolded  him. 

He  felt  very  bad  for  he  loved  his  bride,  but  he  felt  that 
he  could  not  help  having  made  the  mistake  of  calling  on  the 
man  who  was  his  friend.  He  never  thought  about  the  girl 
because  he  did  not  like  her.  He  therefore  made  up  his 
mind  that  he  had  been  witched. 

He  felt  very  bad  the  next  day  and  wanted  some  more 
cider,  but  the  man  who  had  it  lived  a  long  way  past  his 
friend's  house.  Nevertheless  he  tried  to  go  past  the  house 
to  the  one  further  on,  but  all  the  while  he  felt  something 
pulling  him  back.    In  a  moment  he  yielded  and  returned  to 


i    Related  by  Laura  M.  Doctor,  of  the  Tonawanda  reservation. 

372 


THE  SCORNED  WITCH  WOMAN 


373 


the  house,  where  the  beautiful  young  woman  let  him  in  at 
the  back  door.  He  drank  some  cider,  and  called  for  more. 
This  was  the  young  woman's  chance  and  she  put  in  a  double 
portion  of  love  powder.  His  mind  changed  quickly  and 
he  began  to  sing  love  songs.  After  a  while  the  girl 
said  to  her  father,  "We  two  are  going  to  get  married."  The 
father  didn't  know  what  to  say  .  He  should  have  been  glad, 
because  the  young  fellow  helped  him  draw  wood  in  winter. 
But  he  had  heard  that  his  friend  had  another  woman.  He 
therefore  said  nothing,  but  looked  worried. 

After  a  while  the  young  man  went  out  again  and  as  be- 
fore the  young  woman  followed  him  and  they  sat  down  on 
the  same  log  as  the  previous  night.  It  was  dark  and  the  girl 
kissed  him  and  held  onto  him.  After  a  while  he  said,  "I  am 
going  home,  I  really  don't  love  you.  I  am  married  to 
Fidelia." 

At  this  the  young  girl  became  very  angry  and  said, 
"You  had  better  leave  her  and  come  to  live  with  me.  If  you 
don't  I  will  bewitch  you  and  make  you  sorry." 

"How  can  you  witch  me?"  asked  the  young  fellow. 

"I  never  will  tell  you,"  said  she,  "but  I  will  make  you 
so  sorry  that  you  will  wish  you  were  dead." 

The  young  fellow  then  left  her  and  went  home  to  his 
own  wife.  As  before  she  scolded  him  roundly  and  accused 
him  of  unfaithfulness,  but  he  said  nothing.  He  was  a  good 
provider  and  worked  hard. 

In  a  few  days  the  young  fellow  began  to  be  sick.  He 
had  sharp  pains  all  over  his  body.  He  kept  at  work,  how- 
ever, and  though  he  was  tempted  to  visit  his  friend  and  get 
cider  he  kept  away.  Day  by  day  he  grew  weaker  and  at 
night  it  seemed  as  if  some  one  were  scraping  his  body. 
Each  day  he  grew  thinner  until  he  could  work  no  more. 

After  thinking  over  the  matter  he  decided  to  call  in  a 
witch  doctor.  This  he  did  and  the  doctor  advised  him  to 
visit  a  certain  swamp  near  the  creek  and  watch  from  across 
the  water  what  was  happening.    That  night  he  went  down 


374 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  hill  and  crouched  back  of  a  dead  tree,  at  the  same  time 
keeping  a  sharp  eye  on  the  swamp  across  the  stream.  It 
was  moonlight  and  he  could  observe  everything  in  detail, 
for  the  stream  was  not  wide.  Soon  he  saw  something 
swinging  in  the  wind  near  an  elm  tree.  He  looked  more 
closely  and  saw  that  it  was  a  large  bark  doll  suspended  by 
a  long  string.  Soon  the  moon  shone  full  upon  it  and  as  he 
looked  he  saw  the  beautiful  young  witch  woman  come 
through  the  grass.  She  paused  beneath  the  tree  and  saluted 
the  doll,  calling  it  by  the  young  fellow's  name.  She  took 
out  a  knife  and  began  to  scrape  it,  to  reduce  its  size,  and 
as  she  did  this  the  young  fellow  began  to  feel  a  sinking 
feeling  as  if  he  were  shriveling  up.  The  girl  kept  talking 
and  laughing  at  the  doll,  saying,  "You  are  tied  up  now. 
Well  when  the  string  rots  you  will  fall  and  die.  Meanwhile 
I  will  scrape  you  and  eat  your  body."  Then  when  she  had 
said  this,  she  took  out  some  sharp  thorns  and  stuck  them  in 
different  parts  of  the  doll,  and  the  young  man  yelled  right 
out  it  hurt  him  so.  Thereupon  the  young  woman  laughed 
and  said,  "Aha,  I  can  hear  you  groan  way  here." 

After  this  the  young  fellow  went  home  and  was  sick 
all  night.  The  next  day  he  resolved  to  do  what  the  witch 
doctor  had  told  him,  but  he  was  as  yet  too  weak  to  perform 
the  ceremony.  As  he  lay  thinking  about  his  misfortune  he 
heard  a  footfall  outside  and  then  a  rap.  His  wife  went 
to  the  door  and  there  stood  the  young  woman.  "I  have 
brought  him  some  nice  soup,"  she  said.  "I  hear  he  is  very 
sick." 

She  entered  and  went  over  to  the  young  fellow.  He 
hid  his  face  and  said,  "Go  away,  I  know  what  you  are 
doing  to  me.  You  have  poisoned  me.  I  am  sending  for 
a  crow  today." 

The  girl  laughed  and  said,  "What  are  you  sending  for 
a  crow  for?" 

"You  will  soon  find  out,"  he  said. 

That  afternoon  the  witch  doctor  came  and  asked,  "Well 


THE  SCORNED  WITCH  WOMAN 


375 


has  she  been  here?  If  she  has  I  can  go  ahead  with  the 
plan ;  I  have  brought  the  crow." 

So  the  young  fellow  took  the  crow  and  cut  out  its  heart 
at  the  same  time  saying,  "I  bestow  upon  you  the  name 
of   ,"  the  name  of  the  young  woman. 

The  witch  doctor  and  he  then  went  into  the  back  shed 
and  made  a  model  of  a  kettle-hanging  frame.  They  put  it 
on  the  dirt  floor  of  the  shed  and  then  put  a  long  splinter 
through  the  heart.  They  lighted  another  splinter  and  passed 
it  under  the  heart  several  times,  scorching  it. 

The  next  day  the  young  woman  came  to  the  house  again. 
This  time  she  was  crying  very  hard.  She  came  in  and  said, 
"Now  look  what  you  did  to  me."  She  opened  her  waist 
and  showed  her  breast.   It  was  burned  and  blistered. 

The  young  fellow  then  said,  "You  let  me  alone  and  quit 
witching  me  or  I  will  burn  your  heart  right  out  of  you. 
You  made  me  do  wrong.   I've  got  a  good  woman." 

Then  the  young  woman  said,  "I'll  quit ;  you  are  too 
strong  for  me."   After  that  the  young  fellow  got  well. 

After  that  the  young  woman  never  witched  anybodv, 
but  was  a  good  friend  to  the  young  fellow's  wife  and  took 
care  of  her  babies. 


64.    CATCHING  A  WITCH  BUNDLE.1 

One  night  three  men  came  to  the  house  of  a  man  named 
William  and  asked  him  to  go  with  them  to  a  place  on  the 
Four-mile  Level.  It  seemed  that  a  man  by  the  name  of  Jesse 

  had  been  having  very  bad  luck  and  had  lost  one 

child  after  another  by  some  strange  disease.  William  was 
reminded  of  this  and  asked  by  one  of  the  men,  a  Tonawanda 
witch  doctor,  to  assist  in  the  hunt  for  the  mysterious  source 
of  death.    He  consented  and  went  along  with  the  party. 

Reaching  the  desired  spot  the  witch  doctor  took  a  forked 
stick  and  held  it  by  the  long  forked  ends,  one  in  either 
hand.  He  walked  forward  and  when  he  pointed  the  stick 
in  a  certain  direction  the  stick  would  glow.  He  kept  follow- 
ing the  glow  until  he  reached  an  old  stump  way  in  the  heart 
of  the  bush  lot.  The  three  men  followed  him  silently. 
When  he  touched  the  stump  the  forked  stick  seemed  on 
fire  and  bent  down  and  touched  the  ground  between  two 
roots.   "This  is  where  we  must  dig,"  said  the  witch  doctor. 

One  of  the  men  carried  a  spade  and  dug  as  directed. 
Very  soon  he  struck  a  stone,  after  which  the  witch  doctor 
assumed  charge  of  the  digging.  A  lantern  was  lighted  and 
as  the  earth  was  scraped  away  the  investigators  found  a 
cubical  slate  box  with  a  cover  over  it,  made  from  thick  slabs 
from  the  creek  bottom.  The  witch  doctor  lifted  the  cover 
and  looked  in.  "It  is  there,"  he  whispered,  placing  some 
white  powder  on  the  top  of  the  box. 

The  party  now  went  back  to  Jesse's  house  and  dug  a  hole 
at  the  corner  of  the  woodshed.  In  this  the  witch  doctor 
placed  a  five-gallon  crock.  Over  this  he  placed  a  large  piece 
of  silk,  weighted  at  the  corners  so  that  it  stretched  taut, 
like  a  drumhead  over  the  mouth  of  the  crock.  He  then 
made  a  little  fire  and  cast  medicine  powder  into  it,  at  the 
same  time  talking  and  commanding  the  witch  bundle  to 


i    Related  by  William  Parker,  Cattaragus  reservation,  1904. 

376 


CATCHING  A  WITCH  BUNDLE 


377 


come  from  its  slate  box  through  the  air  into  the  crock. 
After  a  while  there  was  a  ball  of  fire  flying  through  the  air 
and  it  came  down  and  went  through  the  silk  without  burn- 
ing it. 

"Now  we  have  it,"  said  the  witch  doctor.  "We  can 
open  it  now."  So  they  opened  it  and  found  a  bundle  of 
rags  all  saturated  with  fresh  human  blood.  In  the  middle 
of  the  bundle  they  found  a  sharp  bone  called  otna'yont, 
and  it  was  red  with  blood.  It  was  the  bone  that  had  been 
drinking  the  blood  of  Jesse's  children.  The  witch  doctor 
then  took  the  bone  and  took  care  of  it.  After  that  there 
was  no  more  sickness  and  the  last  child  got  well.  It  seems 
that  these  sharp  bones  must  be  taken  care  of  and  if  neg- 
lected they  will  eat  the  blood  of  children  until  some  one  finds 
the  bundle  and  takes  care  of  it. 


65.    WITCH  WITH  A  DOG  TRANSFORMATION.1 

A  sick  woman  with  a  wasting  disease  noticed  that  every 
night  something  would  peek  in  her  window.  Her  husband 
could  find  no  evidence  of  this  until  one  night  after  a  snow 
storm  he  found  the  tracks  of  a  large  dog  outside  the  win- 
dow. Following  the  tracks  to  the  road  he  saw  that  they 
became  human  footprints  and  were  lost  in  the  other  tracks 
at  the  side  of  the  road. 

The  next  morning  among  the  friends  that  called  upon 
the  sick  woman  was  an  old  lady  who  lived  near  the  creek  in 
a  small  house.  She  was  a  widow  and  lived  alone.  This  old 
lady  asked  about  the  sick  woman  in  such  a  peculiar  manner 
that  the  husband  grew  suspicious.  After  the  old  woman 
left  the  sick  woman  began  to  feel  much  worse. 

That  night  she  screamed,  "She  is  looking  at  me !"  And 
the  husband  going  outside  saw  as  before  dog  tracks  running 
down  to  the  road.  He  watched  and  soon  some  men  came 
by  and  he  asked  them  if  they  had  seen  a  large  dog.  The 
men  said  they  had ;  one  had  just  ran  down  the  road  toward 
the  creek.  Morning  came  and  the  husband  determined  to 
investigate  further.    He  crossed  the  road  and  walked  down 

the  other  side  until  he  came  to  the  Esther    place. 

He  noticed  that  a  large  dog  had  run  along  the  fence  and 
had  leaped  over  it.  On  the  other  side  there  were  human 
footprints  going  to  the  house. 

Morning  came  and  the  old  woman  called  again  inquir- 
ing about  the  health  of  the  sick  woman.  This  time  the 
husband  said,  "If  you  don't  stop  witching  my  wife  I  will 
fix  you."  The  old  lady  asked  him  what  he  meant  and  said 
that  she  was  not  a  witch. 

The  husband  then  resolved  to  watch  in  the  wood-shed 
all  night,  if  need  be,  and  to  catch  the  dog  looking  into  the 
window.    He  got  some  blankets  to  keep  himself  warm  and 


i    Related  by  Fred  Kennedy. 

378 


A  DOG  TRANSFORMATION 


379 


waited  with  his  rifle.  After  a  while  he  heard  a  sniffing 
sound  and  presently  heard  something  walking  around  the 
house.  Cautiously  he  looked  out  and  saw  the  dog  with  its 
paws  on  the  window-sill  of  his  wife's  room.  Fire  was  com- 
ing out  of  the  dog's  eyes.  The  husband  now  ran  out  and 
chased  the  dog  which  ran  down  the  road.  There  were  many 
people  on  the  road,  for  it  was  moonlight  and  it  was  sleigh- 
ing time.  They  saw  him  chasing  the  dog.  It  ran  to  the 
fence  and  jumped  over.  As  it  poised  in  mid  air  over  the 
fence  the  man  fired  his  gun.  There  was  a  yelp  and  the 
people  saw  something  shoot  through  the  air  and  jump  into 
the  window  of  the  cabin.  The  people  watched  this  and 
looked  over  the  fence  but  there  was  no  mark  or  track  on 
the  snow,  except  some  dog  hair.  Three  days  later  the 
people  went  to  the  house  and  found  the  old  woman  dead  on 
her  bed  with  a  bullet  in  her  heart.  There  was  dog  hair  on 
the  window  where  she  had  dived  through.  It  was  sure 
then  that  she  had  been  a  witch.   The  sick  woman  recovered. 


66.    WITCH  STEALS  CHILDREN'S  HEARTS.1 


There  was  an  old  woman  who  always  helped  with 
children's  funerals,  and  would  sit  up  all  night  while  the 
tired  parents  slept.  She  would  lock  the  door  and  stay  with 
the  dead  children.  Everybody  thought  she  was  a  nice  old 
woman  until  one  time  a  woman  walking  by  her  house  saw 
a  witch  light  fly  out  of  her  chimney  and  go  into  the  grave- 
yard.   "Hoh,"  she  said  to  herself,  "I  guess  old  lady  E  

must  be  a  witch." 

Soon  thereafter  another  child  died  and  the  old  lady 
came  as  usual  to  help  with  the  funeral.  That  night  she  sat 
up  with  the  corpse  but  this  time  the  woman  who  had  sus- 
pected the  old  lady  told  her  husband  Gus  to  watch  her 
through  a  window. 

Gus  found  a  place  outside  where  he  could  see  into  the 
room.  At  midnight  the  old  lady  took  a  knife  and  cut  the 
heart  out  of  the  child  and  then  ran  out  of  the  house  while 
everybody  else  slept.  She  went  to  her  own  house  and 
shortly  turned  into  a  ball  of  fire  and  flew  out  of  the  chim- 
ney. The  light  went  to  an  old  cemetery  where  there  were 
many  sunken  graves.  Gus  followed,  though  he  was  fright- 
ened. He  saw  the  old  woman  put  something  into  a  hole  in 
a  grave  hollow  and  say,  "There,  I  have  got  you  another. 
Now  you  are  my  friend  and  will  have  to  show  me  where  I 
can  get  money." 

Soon  the  light  soared  overhead  again  and  went  back 
into  the  old  lady's  chimney. 

The  next  morning  Gus  went  to  the  father  of  the  dead 
child  and  told  him  what  he  had  heard  and  seen.  The  father 
was  very  mad  but  after  examining  the  child  could  find  no 
marks  where  the  heart  had  been  taken  out.  The  old  witch 
had  healed  the  cut.  So  then  they  went  to  the  cemetery  and 
found  the  grave.    Digging  down  where  they  saw  the  hole 


l    Related  by  Aurelia  Jones  Miller,  1905. 

380 


WITCH  STEALS  CHILDREN'S  HEARTS  381 


they  came  to  a  corpse  and  it  was  all  covered  with  blood 
and  had  a  child's  heart  in  its  mouth,  gnawing  at  it.  The 
men  poured  kerosene  from  a  lantern  in  the  hole  and  set 
it  afire.  Then  they  went  to  the  old  lady's  house  and  found 
bloody  rags  on  the  table,  but  she  was  not  there  having  gone 
back  to  the  house  for  the  funeral.  The  father  of  the  dead 
child  then  ran  home  and  found  the  old  lady  there. 

"You  are  an  old  witch,"  he  stormed.  "Now  I  know  why 
you  have  been  going  to  children's  funerals.  You  must  con- 
fess now  or  I  will  kill  you."  He  grabbed  her  by  the  hair 
and  swung  her  around.  She  burst  out  crying  and  said, 
"Yes,  I  now  confess.  I  took  children's  hearts  to  give  to  my 
friend.  This  friend  gives  me  luck  and  I  would  starve  with- 
out her." 

"You  go  home  and  quit  this  business,"  said  the  father. 

The  old  lady  went  home  and  after  the  child  was  buried 
the  family  called  in  a  witch  doctor  and  they  made  a  charm 
against  the  witch  woman,  and  soon  she  died. 


67.    HOTCIWAHO.    (HAMMER  IN  HIS  BELT.) 

This  was  near  a  river.  There  lived  Hotciwaho  an  old 
man.  His  house  was  apart  from  all  others  and  his  grand- 
son lived  with  him.  Now  this  Hotciwaho  wore  women's 
clothes  and  beneath  his  skirt  he  wore  a  hammer  (mallet), 
and  he  would  hide  by  the  springs  back  of  the  rocks  and  kill 
children  when  they  came  for  water.  He  would  strike  them 
on  their  heads  when  they  stooped  over  to  dip.  Their  bodies 
would  be  found  at  the  spring  by  the  people  who  after  a  time 
found  so  many  that  they  thought  some  subtle  poison  must 
haunt  the  places  where  they  drew  their  water.  Now  this 
Hotciwaho  would  always  go  to  the  house  where  they  were 
mourning  over  the  death  of  the  child  and  he  would  weep. 
Now  the  people  never  saw  the  tears  fall  from  his  eyes  but 
they  were  always  wet  when  he  moaned  over  the  child  and 
said,  'Hagia" !"  He  did  not  truly  cry  but  before  entering 
wiped  his  saliva  over  his  cheeks  and  eyes  so  as  to  appear 
grieving.    This  was  his  trick. 

Now  why  did  he  kill  people?  He  was  lazy  and  loved 
good  food.  Now  at  funerals  the  bereaved  always  provided 
a  feast  and  afterwards  the  death  feast  and  the  mourners 
could  take  away  a  portion  of  the  soup,  bread  and  cakes. 
This  is  why  he  killed  children.   He  wanted  the  food. 

Now  such  a  man  when  he  does  a  wrong  many  times 
thinks  it  no  offence.  The  grandson  thought  this  all  wrong 
and  being  afraid  that  he  too  would  be  killed  stole  his  grand- 
father's hammer  and  struck  him  a  blow  on  the  head  and 
killed  him.    So  he  died  in  the  same  way. 


3*2 


68.    HOW  AMERICA  WAS  DISCOVERED. 


Handsome  Lake's  Story. 

According  to  Chief  Cornplanter,  Handsome  Lake  taught 
that  America  was  discovered  in  the  manner  here  related. 

A  great  queen  had  among  her  servants  a  young  minis- 
ter. Upon  a  certain  occasion  she  requested  him  to  dust 
some  books  that  she  had  hidden  in  an  old  chest.  Now  when 
the  young  man  reached  the  bottom  of  the  chest  he  found  a 
wonderful  book  which  he  opened  and  read.  It  told  that  the 
white  men  had  killed  the  son  of  the  Creator  and  it  said, 
moreover,  that  he  had  promised  to  return  in  three  days  and 
then  again  forty  but  that  he  never  did.  All  his  followers 
then  began  to  despair  but  some  said,  "He  surely  will  come 
again  some  time."  When  the  young  preacher  read  this 
book  he  was  worried  because  he  had  discovered  that  he  had 
been  deceived  and  that  his  Lord  was  not  on  earth  and  had 
not  returned  when  he  promised.  So  he  went  to  some  of 
the  chief  preachers  and  asked  them  about  the  matter  and 
they  answered  that  he  had  better  seek  the  Lord  himself  and 
find  if  he  were  not  on  the  earth  now.  So  he  prepared  to 
find  the  Lord  and  the  next  day  when  he  looked  out  into  the 
river  he  saw  a  beautiful  island  and  marveled  that  he  had 
never  noticed  it  before.  As  he  continued  to  look  he  saw  a 
castle  built  of  gold  in  the  midst  of  the  island  and  he  mar- 
veled that  he  had  not  seen  the  castle  before.  Then  he 
thought  that  so  beautiful  a  palace  on  so  beautiful  an  isle 
must  surely  be  the  abode  of  the  son  of  the  Creator.  Im- 
mediately he  went  to  the  wise  men  and  told  them  what  he 
had  seen  and  they  wondered  greatly  and  answered  that  it 
must  indeed  be  the  house  of  the  Lord.  So  together  they 
went  to  the  river  and  when  they  came  to  it  they  found  that 
it  was  spanned  by  a  bridge  of  gold.  Then  one  of  the 
preachers  fell  down  and  prayed  a  long  time  and  arising  to 
cross  the  bridge  turned  back  because  he  was  afraid  to 

383 


384 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


meet  his  Lord.  Then  the  other  crossed  the  bridge  and 
knelt  down  upon  the  grass  and  prayed  but  he  became  afraid 
to  go  near  the  house.  So  the  young  man  went  boldly  over 
to  attend  to  the  business  at  hand  and  walking  up  to  the 
door  knocked.  A  handsome  man  welcomed  him  into  a 
room  and  bade  him  be  of  ease.  "I  wanted  you,"  he  said. 
"You  are  bright  young  man ;  those  old  fools  will  not  suit 
me  for  they  would  be  afraid  to  listen  to  me.  Listen  to  me, 
young  man,  and  you  will  be  rich.  Across  the  ocean  there  is 
a  great  country  of  which  you  have  never  heard.  The  people 
there  are  virtuous,  they  have  no  evil  habits  or  appetites  but 
are  honest  and  single-minded.  A  great  reward  is  yours  if 
you  enter  into  my  plans  and  carry  them  out.  Here  are  five 
things.  Carry  them  over  to  the  people  across  the  ocean  and 
never  shall  you  want  for  wealth,  position  or  power.  Take 
these  cards,  this  money,  this  fiddle,  this  whiskey  and  this 
blood  corruption  and  give  them  all  to  the  people  across  the 
water.  The  cards  will  make  them  gamble  away  their  goods 
and  idle  away  their  time,  the  money  will  make  them  dis- 
honest and  covetous,  the  fiddle  will  make  them  dance  with 
women  and  their  lower  natures  will  command  them,  the 
whiskey  will  excite  their  minds  to  evil  doing  and  turn  their 
minds,  and  the  blood  corruption  will  eat  their  strength  and 
rot  their  bones." 

The  young  man  thought  this  a  good  bargain  and  prom- 
ised to  do  as  the  man  had  commanded  him.  He  left  the 
palace  and  when  he  had  stepped  over  the  bridge  it  was 
gone,  likewise  the  golden  palace  and  also  the  island.  Now 
he  wondered  if  he  had  seen  the  Lord  but  he  did  not  tell  the 
great  ministers  of  his  bargain  because  they  might  try  to 
forstall  him.  So  he  looked  about  and  at  length  found 
Columbus  to  whom  he  told  the  whole  story.  So  Columbus 
fitted  out  some  boats  and  sailed  out  into  the  ocean  to  find 
the  land  on  the  other  side.  When  he  had  sailed  for  many 
days  on  the  water  the  sailors  said  that  unless  Columbus 
turned  about  and  went  home  they  would  behead  him  but 


HOW  AMERICA  WAS  DISCOVERED 


385 


he  asked  for  another  day  and  on  that  day  land  was  seen 
and  that  land  was  America.  Then  they  turned  around  and 
going  back  reported  what  they  had  discovered.  Soon  a  great 
flock  of  ships  came  over  the  ocean  and  white  men  came 
swarming  into  the  country  bringing  with  them  cards, 
money,  fiddles,  whiskey  and  blood  corruption. 

Now  the  man  who  had  appeared  in  the  gold  palace  was 
the  devil  and  when  afterward  he  saw  what  his  words  had 
done  he  said  that  he  had  made  a  great  mistake  and  even 
he  lamented  that  his  evil  had  been  so  enormous. 


69.    ORIGIN  OF  THE  CHARM  HOLDERS'  MEDI- 
CINE SOCIETY.1 

There  was  in  old  times  a  young  chief  who  was  a  hunter 
of  great  cunning,  but  though  he  killed  many  animals  he 
never  took  advantage  of  their  positions.  He  never  shot  a 
swimming  deer  or  a  doe  with  a  fawn,  he  never  killed  an 
animal  fatigued  by  a  long  run  nor  took  one  unawares.  Be- 
fore the  hunt  he  always  threw  tobacco  and  made  a  cere- 
mony to  ask  permission  to  kill  game.  Nor  was  he  ever  un- 
grateful to  the  animals  of  the  woods  who  had  been  his 
friends  for  so  many  years.  The  flesh  that  was  useless  he 
left  for  the  wolves  and  birds,  calling  to  them  as  he  left  it: 
"Come,  my  friends,  I  have  made  a  feast  for  you."  Like- 
wise when  he  took  honey  from  a  tree  he  left  a  portion  for 
the  bears  and  when  he  had  his  corn  harvested  he  left  open 
ears  in  the  field  for  the  crows,  that  they  might  not  steal 
the  corn  sprouts  at  the  next  planting.  He  fed  the  fish  and 
water  animals  with  entrails  and  offal.  No  ruthless  hunter 
was  he  but  thoughtful.  He  threw  tobacco  for  the  animals 
in  the  woods  and  water  and  made  incense  for  them  with 
the  oyehkwaon'we',  the  sacred  tobacco,  and  "threw  it"  even 
for  the  trees.  He  was  a  well  loved  chief  for  he  remembered 
his  friends  and  gave  them  meat.  All  the  animals  were  his 
friends  and  all  his  people  were  loyal  to  him.  All  this  was 
because  he  was  good  and  he  was  known  as  the  "protector 
of  the  birds  and  beasts."  So  he  was  called.  It  is  supposed 
that  his  own  name  was  His-hand-is-red. 

The  southwest  country  is  a  land  of  mysteries.  There 
are  many  unknown  things  in  the  mountains  there  and  also  in 
the  waters.  The  wildest  people  have  always  lived  there 
and  some  were  very  wise  and  made  different  things.  When, 
many  years  ago,  the  Ongwe'  honwe',  (Iroquois)  began  to 
make  excursions  to  this  distant  country  they  encountered 


i    Related  by  Chief  E.  Cornplanter. 

386 


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CHARM  HOLDER'S  MEDICINE  SOCIETY  387 


many  nations  that  were  friendly  and  more  that  were  hos- 
tile. The  Iroquois  used  to  like  to  go  in  this  country  for 
there  they  learned  new  things  and  found  new  plants  and 
new  kinds  of  corn  and  beans  and  when  they  would  fight 
and  destroy  a  tribe  they  would  carry  away  curiously-made 
things  and  some  captives  back  to  their  own  country. 

While  one  of  these  exploring  parties  was  in  the  far 
southwest  looking  for  war  and  new  things,  a  band  of  very 
savage  people  attacked  them.  The  young  chief,  the  friend 
of  the  animals,  was  with  the  party,  and,  being  separated 
from  the  rest  of  his  party,  was  struck  down  by  a  tomahawk 
blow.  The  enemy  cut  a  circle  around  his  scalplock  and 
tore  it  off.  He  could  not  fight  strong  because  he  was  tired 
and  very  hungry  from  the  long  journey,  so  he  was  killed. 
The  enemy  knew  him  because  he  had  been  a  brave  fighter 
and  killed  a  good  many  of  their  people  in  former  battles  so 
they  were  glad  when  they  killed  him  and  prized  his  scalp. 
Now  he  lay  dead  in  a  thicket  and  none  of  his  warriors 
knew  where  he  was  but  the  enemy  showed  them  his  scalp. 
So  they  knew  that  he  was  dead  but  they  did  not  kill  all  the 
Iroquois. 

Black  night  came  and  alone  upon  the  red  and  yellow 
leaves  the  chief  lay  dead  and  his  blood  was  clotted  upon 
the  leaves  where  it  had  spilled.  The  night  birds  scented 
the  blood  and  hovered  over  the  body,  the  owl  and  the  whip- 
poorwill  flew  above  it  and  O'sh'a'da'gea',  the  Dew  Eagle, 
swooped  down  from  the  regions  over  the  clouds.  "He  seems 
to  be  a  friend,"  they  said,  "who  can  this  man  be?"  A  wolf 
sniffed  the  air  and  thought  he  smelled  food.  Skulking 
through  the  trees  he  came  upon  the  body,  dead  and 
scalped.  His  nose  was  upon  the  clotted  blood  and  he  liked 
blood.  Then  he  looked  into  the  face  of  the  dead  man  and 
leapt  back  with  a  long  yelping  howl, — the  dead  man  was 
the  friend  of  the  wolves  and  the  animals  and  birds.  His 
howl  was  a  signal  call  and  brought  all  the  animals  of  the 
big  woods  and  the  birds  dropped  down  around  him.  All 


388 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  medicine  animals  came, — the  bear,  the  deer,  the  fox,  the 
beaver,  the  otter,  the  turtle  and  the  big  horned  deer 
(moose).  Now  the  birds  around  him  were  the  owl,  the 
whippoorwill,  the  crow,  the  buzzard,  the  swift  hawk,  the 
eagle,  the  snipe,  the  white  heron  and  also  the  great  chief  of 
all  birds,  Oshadahgeah,  who  is  the  eagle  who  flies  in  the 
world  of  our  Creator  above  the  clouds.  These  are  all  the 
great  medicine  people  and  they  came  in  council  about  their 
killed  friend.  Then  they  said,  "He  must  not  be  lost  to  us. 
We  must  restore  him  to  life  again."  Then  a  bird  said,  "He 
is  our  friend,  he  always  fed  us.  We  cannot  allow  our 
friend  to  die.  We  must  restore  him."  Then  the  Wolf  came 
up  to  the  body  and  said,  "Here  is  our  friend,  he  always 
gave  us  food  in  time  of  famine.  We  called  him  our  father, 
now  we  are  orphans.  It  is  our  duty  to  give  him  life  again. 
Let  each  one  of  us  look  in  our  medicine  packets  and  take 
out  the  most  potent  ingredient.  Then  let  us  compound  a 
medicine  and  give  it."  Then  the  Owl  said,  "A  living  man 
must  have  a  scalp." 

So  the  animals  made  a  wonderful  medicine  and  in  its 
preparation  some  gave  their  own  lives  and  mixed  them 
with  the  medicine  roots.  Now  when  the  medicine  was  made 
all  of  it  was  contained  in  the  bowl  of  an  acorn.  So  they 
poured  it  down  the  throat  of  the  man  and  the  Bear  feeling 
over  the  body  found  a  warm  spot  over  his  heart.  Then  the 
Bear  hugged  him  close  in  his  hairy  arms  and  kept  him 
warm.  The  Crow  had  flown  away  for  the  scalp  but  could 
not  find  it,  then  the  White  Heron  went  but  while  flying 
over  a  bean  field  thought  herself  hungry  and  stopped  to 
eat  and  when  filled  was  too  heavy  to  rise  again.  Then  the 
Pigeon  Hawk,  the  swiftest  of  the  birds,  said  that  he  would 
go  and  surely  find  it.  By  this  time  the  enemy  had  become 
aware  that  the  animals  were  holding  a  council  over  their 
friend  whom  they  had  slain  and  so  they  carefully  guarded 
the  scalp  which  they  stretched  upon  a  hoop  and  swung  on 
a  thong  over  the  smoke  hole  of  a  lodge.   The  Pigeon  Hawk, 


CHARM  HOLDER'S  MEDICINE  SOCIETY  389 


impatient  at  delay  shot  upward  into  the  air  and  flying  in 
wide  circles  discovered  the  scalp  dangling  over  the  fire  dry- 
ing in  the  hot  smoke.  Hovering  over  the  lodge  for  a  mo- 
ment he  dropped  down  and  snatching  the  scalp  shot  back 
upwards  into  the  clouds,  faster  and  further  than  the  arrows 
that  pursued  him  swift  from  the  strong  bows  of  the  angered 
enemy.  Back  he  flew,  his  speed  undiminished  by  his  long 
flight,  and  placed  the  scalp  in  the  midst  of  the  council.  It 
was  smoky  and  dried  and  would  not  fit  the  head  of  the  man. 
Then  Big  Crow  (buzzard)  emptied  his  stomach  on  it  to 
clean  it  of  smoke  and  make  it  stick  fast  and  O'sh'a'da'gea' 
plucked  a  feather  from  his  wing  and  dipped  it  in  the  pool 
of  dew  that  rests  in  the  hollow  on  his  back  and  sprinkled 
the  water  upon  it.  The  dew  came  down  in  round  drops 
and  refreshed  the  dry  scalp  as  it  does  a  withered  leaf.  The 
man  had  begun  faintly  to  breathe  when  the  animals  placed 
the  scalp  back  in  his  head  and  they  saw  that  truly  he  would 
revive.  Then  the  man  felt  a  warm  liquid  trickling  down 
his  throat  and  with  his  eyes  yet  shut  he  began  to  talk  the 
language  of  the  birds  and  animals.  And  they  sang  a  won- 
derful song  and  he  listened  and  remembered  every  word 
of  the  song.  This  song  the  animals  told  him  was  the  charm 
song  of  the  medicine  animals  and  they  told  him  that  when 
he  wished  the  favor  of  the  great  medicine  people  and  when 
he  felt  grateful,  to  make  a  ceremony  and  sing  the  song.  So 
also  they  told  him  that  they  had  a  dance  and  a  dance  song 
and  they  told  him  that  they  would  teach  him  the  dance. 
So  they  danced  and  some  shook  rattles  made  of  the  squashes 
(gourds)  and  though  his  eyes  were  closed  he  saw  the  dance 
and  he  knew  all  the  tunes.  Then  the  animals  told  him  to 
form  a  company  of  his  friends  and  upon  certain  occasions 
to  sing  and  dance  the  ceremony,  HadT"d6s,  for  it  was  a 
great  power  and  called  all  the  medicine  animals  together 
and  when  the  people  were  sick  they  would  devise  a  medi- 
cine for  them.  Now  they  said  that  he  must  not  fail  to 
perform  the  ceremony  and  throw  tobacco  for  them.  Now 


390 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  name  of  the  society  was  Hadi"dos.  Then  the  chief 
asked  the  medicine  people  what  the  ingredients  of  the 
medicine  were  and  they  promised  to  tell  him.  At  a  time 
the  animals  should  choose  they  would  notify  him  by  the 
medicine  song.  Now  he  could  not  receive  the  secret  be- 
cause he  had  been  married.  Only  hoyahdiwadoh  (virgin 
men)  may  receive  the  first  knowledge  of  mysteries.  Now 
the  chief  greatly  wished  for  the  medicine  for  he  thought 
it  would  be  a  great  charm  and  a  cure  for  the  wounds  re- 
ceived in  war.  After  a  time  the  chief  was  lifted  to  his 
feet  by  the  hand  of  the  bear  and  then  he  recovered  his  full 
life  and  when  he  opened  his  eyes  he  found  himself  alone 
in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of  tracks.  He  made  his  way  back 
to  his  people  and  related  his  adventure.  He  gathered  his 
warriors  together  and  in  a  secret  place  sang  the  medicine 
song  of  the  animals,  the  Hadi"dos.  So  they  sang  the  song 
and  each  had  a  song  and  they  danced. 

After  some  time  the  chiefs  decided  to  send  another 
war  party  against  the  enemy  in  the  southwest  to  punish 
the  hostile  people  who  were  attacking  them.  Then  the 
friend  of  the  birds  and  animals  said,  "It  is  well  that  we 
destroy  them  for  they  are  not  a  reasonable  people,"  and 
so  he  went  with  his  party. 

Now  after  a  certain  number  of  days  the  party  stopped 
in  an  opening  in  the  forest  to  replenish  their  stock  of  food. 
Now  the  place  where  they  stopped  was  grassy  and  a  good 
place  for  camp.  Now  a  short  distance  away,  a  half  day's 
journey,  was  a  deer  lick  and  near  it  a  clear  spring  and  a 
brook  that  ran  from  it  and  to  this  place  all  the  animals 
came  to  drink.  The  party  wanted  fresh  meat  and  so  dis- 
patched two  young  men,  hoyahdiwadoh,  to  the  lick  for 
game.  As  they  approached  it  they  heard  the  sound  of  a 
distant  song  and  drawing  near  to  the  lick  they  sat  down 
on  the  bank  over  the  spring  and  listened  to  the  song.  It 
was  a  most  wonderful  song  and  floated  through  the  air  to 
them.    At  a  distance  away  the  animals  came  and  drank 


CHARM  HOLDER'S  MEDICINE  SOCIETY  391 


but  so  entranced  were  they  by  the  music  that  they  killed 
none.  Through  the  entire  night  they  sat  listening  to  the 
song,  and  listening  they  learned  sections  of  the  song.  In 
the  morning  they  returned  to  the  camp  and  reported  what 
they  had  heard  to  their  chief.  Then  said  the  chief,  "That 
song  is  for  the  good  of  the  medicine.  You  must  find  the 
source  of  the  song  and  discover  the  medicine  that  will 
make  us  powerful  in  war  and  cure  all  our  ills.  You  must 
purge  yourselves  and  go  again  on  the  morrow."  So  the 
young  men  did  as  directed  and  went  again  to  the  spring 
and  threw  tobacco  upon  its  surface.  As  night  came  on 
they  listened  and  again  heard  the  great  song  and  it  was 
lounder  and  more  distinct  than  before.  Then  they  heard 
a  voice  singing  from  the  air  and  telling  them  the  story  of 
their  lives  and  they  marveled  greatly.  The  song  grew 
louder  and  as  they  listened  they  discovered  that  it  ema- 
nated from  the  summit  of  a  mountain.  So  they  returned 
in  the  morning  and  reported  to  their  chief  and  sang  to  him 
parts  of  the  song.  Then  he  said,  "You  must  cleanse  your- 
selves again  and  this  time  do  not  return  until  you  have  the 
medicine,  the  song  and  the  magic."  So  the  young  men 
cleansed  themselves  again  and  went  to  the  spring  and  as  the 
thick  night  came  on  they  heard  the  singing  voices  clear  and 
loud,  ringing  from  the  mountain  top.  Then  said  one  of  the 
young  men,  "Let  us  follow  the  sound  to  its  source,"  and 
they  started  in  the  darkness.  After  a  time  they  stumbled 
upon  a  windfall,  a  place  where  the  trees  had  been  blown 
down  in  a  tangled  mass.  It  was  a  difficult  place  to  pass  in 
the  darkness  for  they  were  often  entrapped  in  the  branches 
but  they  persevered  and  it  seemed  that  some  one  were 
leading  them.  Beings  seemed  to  be  all  about  them  yet  they 
could  not  see  them  for  it  was  dark.  After  they  had  extri- 
cated themselves  from  the  windfall  they  went  into  a  morass 
where  their  footsteps  were  guided  by  the  unseen  medicine 
animals.  Now  the  journey  was  a  very  tedious  one  and 
they  could  see  nothing.    They  approached  a  gulf  and  one 


392 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


said,  "Let  us  go  up  and  down  the  gulf  and  try  to  cross  it," 
and  they  did  and  crossed  one  gulf.  Soon  they  came  to 
another  where  they  heard  the  roaring  of  a  cataract  and  the 
rushing  of  waters.  It  was  a  terrifying  place  and  one  of  the 
young  men  was  almost  afraid.  They  descended  the  slope 
and  came  to  a  swift  river  and  its  waters  were  very  cold 
but  they  plunged  in  and  would  have  been  lost  if  someone 
unseen  had  not  guided  them.  So  they  crossed  over  and 
on  the  other  side  was  a  steep  mountain  which  they  must 
ascend  but  could  not  because  it  was  too  steep.  Then  one 
of  the  young  men  said,  "Let  us  wait  here  awhile  and  rest 
ourselves  for  we  may  need  our  strength  for  greater 
dangers."  So  he  said.  But  the  other  said,  "I  am  rested, 
we  must  go  onward  somehow."  When  he  had  so  spoken 
a  light  came  flying  over  and  sang  for  them  to  follow  it. 
So  they  followed  the  winged  light  and  ascended  the  moun- 
tain and  they  were  helped.  The  winged  light  kept  singing, 
"Follow  me,  follow  me,  follow  me  \"  And  they  were  safe 
when  they  followed  and  were  not  afraid.  Now  the  sing- 
ing, flying  beacon  was  the  whippoorwill.  He  led  them. 
After  a  time  the  light  disappeared  but  they  struggled  up 
the  mountain  side  unaided  by  its  guidance.  The  way  be- 
came very  stony  and  it  seemed  that  no  one  were  helping 
them  now  and  then  they  wished  that  their  unseen  friends 
would  help  them,  so  they  made  a  prayer  and  threw  sacred 
tobacco  on  the  path.  Then  the  light  came  again  and  it  was 
brighter,  it  glowed  like  the  morning  and  the  way  was  lighted 
up.  The  singing  continued  all  this  while  and  they  were 
nearing  its  source  and  they  reached  the  top  of  the  mountain. 
They  looked  about  for  they  heard  the  song  near  at  hand 
but  there  was  no  one  there.  Then  looked  about  and  saw 
nothing  but  a  great  stalk  of  corn  springing  from  a  flat  rock. 
Its  four  roots  stretched  in  the  four  directions,  north,  east, 
south  and  west.  The  roots  lay  that  way.  They  listened 
and  discovered  that  the  music  emanated  from  the  corn- 
stalk.   It  was  wonderful.    The  corn  was  a  mystically  magic 


CHARM  HOLDER'S  MEDICINE  SOCIETY  393 


plant  and  life  was  within  it.  Then  the  winged  light  sang 
for  them  to  cut  the  root  and  take  a  piece  for  medicine.  So 
they  made  a  tobacco  offering  and  cut  the  root.  As  they 
did  red  blood  like  human  blood  flowed  out  from  the  cut 
and  then  the  wound  immediately  healed.  Then  did  the 
unseen  speaker  say,  "This  root  is  a  great  medicine,  and 
now  we  will  reveal  the  secret  of  the  medicine.  So  the 
voices  told  them  the  composition  of  the  medicine  that  had 
healed  the  chief  and  instructed  them  how  to  use  it.  They 
taught  the  young  men  the  Gano'ta',  the  medicine  song,  that 
would  make  the  medicine  strong  and  preserve  it.  They  said 
that  unless  the  song  were  sung  the  medicine  would  become 
weak  and  the  animals  would  become  angry  because  of  the 
neglect  of  the  ceremonies  that  honored  their  medicine. 
Therefore,  the  holders  of  the  medicine  must  sing  the  all- 
night  song  for  it.  And  they  told  them  all  the  laws  of  the 
medicine  and  the  singing  light  guided  them  back  to  the 
spring  and  it  was  morning  then.  The  young  men  returned 
to  their  chief  and  told  him  the  full  story  of  their  experi- 
ences and  he  was  glad  for  he  said,  "The  medicine  will  heal 
all  wounds." 

It  was  true,  the  medicine  healed  the  cuts  and  wounds 
made  by  arrows  and  knives  and  not  one  of  the  Iroquois 
was  killed  in  their  battle  with  the  enemy.  When  they  re- 
turned home  the  chief  organized  the  lodges  of  the  medicine 
and  the  medicine  people  of  the  Hadi"dos  and  the 
Niga'ni'ga'a'  were  called  the  Honon"tci'non"ga.  The  medi- 
cine was  called  the  niga'niga'a',  (little  dose)  because  its  dose 
was  so  small.    So  started  the  Honon"tci'non"ga. 


70.    ORIGIN  OF  THE  FALSE  FACE  COMPANY 


THE  STONE  GIANTS.1 

There  were  different  things  in  the  olden  days,  strange 
happenings,  strange  animals  and  birds,  and  strange  people. 
It  seems  that  they  do  not  live  any  more,  so  men  only  half 
believe  the  tales  of  them  now. 

The  stone  giants  are  a  kind  of  men-being  that  are  now 
gone.   What  we  have  heard  about  them  I  will  tell. 

There  was  once  a  far  north  country  where  a  race  of 
giants  dwelt.  They  were  very  tall  and  bony.  It  was  cold 
in  that  north  country  and  the  giants  lived  on  fish  and  raw 
flesh.  When  the  summer  came  to  that  region  there  was 
dry  sand  upon  the  ground  and  the  giants,  it  is  supposed, 
taught  their  children  to  rub  it  on  their  bodies  every  day 
until  the  blood  came  out  where  the  skin  was  worn  through. 
After  awhile  the  skin  became  hard  and  calloused,  like  a 
woman's  hand  when  the  harvest  is  over.  Each  year  the 
young  rubbed  their  bodies  with  the  sand,  until  when  they 
had  grown  to  be  men,  it  was  hard  like  rawhide  and  the 
sand  stuck  in  and  made  them  look  like  men  of  stone.  This 
is  what  some  wise  men  thought,  but  others  said  stone  giants 
were  born  that  way. 

As  time  went  on  these  giants  grew  more  ferocious  and 
warlike.  They  became  tired  of  the  flesh  of  beasts  and  fish 
and  yearned  for  the  flesh  of  men.  Then  they  sallied  forth 
to  the  lands  south  of  them  and  captured  Indians  and  de- 
voured their  flesh,  tearing  it  from  their  living  bodies.  All 
the  nations  and  tribes  of  Indians  feared  them,  for  no  arrow 
would  pierce  their  hard  stony  coats.  Thus,  secure  in  their 
armors  of  callous  and  sand,  no  season  was  too  cold  for 
them,  no  journey  too  long  and  no  tribe  strong  enough  to 
overwhelm  them.    They  became  more  and  more  boastful 


i    Related  by  Aurelia  Jones  Miller,  Seneca,  1905. 

394 


THE  FALSE  FACE  COMPANY 


395 


and  arrogant  until  they  even  laughed  at  the  warnings  of  the 
Great  Ruler,  the  Good  Minded,  and  hallooed  up  to  the  skies 
mocking  words.  "We  are  as  great  as  the  Great  Ruler," 
they  said.    "We  have  created  ourselves !" 

When  the  Confederacy  of  the  five  brother  nations  was 
young,  these  terrible  stone  giants  crossed  the  river  of  rapids 
and  swept  down  upon  the  scattered  settlements  of  the  Five 
Nations.  By  day  they  hid  in  caves  and  at  night  they  came 
forth  in  the  darkness  and  captured  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, rending  their  bodies  apart  and  chewing  up  their  flesh 
and  bones.  When  they  pointed  their  fingers  at  men  they 
fell  down  dead. 

The  medicine  men  cried  to  the  Good  Minded  Spirit  until 
it  seemed  that  prayer  was  only  like  hollow  talking  in  one's 
throat.  The  giants  kept  on  with  their  raids  and  feasted 
undisturbed.  No  dark  place  was  secure  from  their  eyes, 
they  penetrated  the  deepest  shadows  and  found  the  hiding 
places  of  those  who  fled  from  them.  Villages  were  destroyed 
and  abandoned,  councils  were  not  held,  for  sachems  and 
chieftains  were  the  victims  for  the  flesh-of-men  feasts  of 
the  giants.  The  boldest  warriors  shot  their  strongest  arrows 
from  their  strongest  bows  upon  these  invaders,  but  though 
the  arrow  shafts  were  strong  and  tipped  with  the  toughest 
of  flint,  when  they  struck  the  stone-coated  giants,  the  arrows 
broke  and  the  flints  snapped  and  the  giants  gathered  up  the 
warriors  and  shredded  their  meat  from  their  bones  with 
their  sharp  teeth. 

At  last  the  Good  Ruler  saw  that  men  would  become 
exterminated  unless  he  intervened.  Thus,  he  commanded 
the  Holder  of  the  Heavens  to  descend  from  the  sky  and 
use  his  strategy  to  destroy  the  entire  race  of  stone  giants. 
Accordingly,  the  Holder  of  the  Heavens  dropped  from  the 
place  above  the  clouds,  and  hiding  in  a  deep  forest,  took 
the  form  of  a  stone  giant  and  went  among  the  band.  Awed 
by  his  display  of  power,  his  wonderful  feats  and  his  mar- 
velous strength  they  proclaimed  the  new  comer  the  great 


396 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


chief  of  all  the  stone  giants.  In  honor  of  his  installation 
the  Holder  of  the  Heavens  swung  his  huge  war  club  high 
over  his  head  and  roared  ferociously,  ''Now  is  the  time  to 
destroy  these  puny  men,  and  have  a  great  feast  such  as 
never  before !"  Leading  forth  the  mighty  tribe  he  planned 
to  attack  the  stronghold  of  the  Onondagas.  Arriving  at  the 
foot  of  the  great  hill  on  whose  summit  was  the  stockade 
where  the  Onondagas  had  assembled,  he  bade  the  giants 
hide  in  the  caves  in  the  hills  or  make  burrows  and  there 
hide.  They  were  to  await  the  dawn  when  they  would 
commence  the  assault.  Having  instructed  them  the  Holder 
of  the  Heavens  went  up  the  fort  hill  on  a  pretense  and  then 
gave  the  whole  earth  a  mighty  shake.  So  mighty  was  the 
shaking  that  the  rocks  broke  from  their  beds  and  fell  in 
masses  over  one  another  and  the  earth  slid  down  making 
new  hills  and  valleys.  The  caves  all  collapsed  and  the 
crouching  stone  giants  were  crushed  to  bits.  You  could 
see  bones  once  in  caves  among  the  Onondagas.  All  but 
one  was  killed  and  he,  with  a  terrible  yell,  rushed  forth  and 
fled  with  the  speed  of  a  being  impelled  by  the  Evil  Minded 
to  the  Allegheny  mountains,  where,  finding  a  cave,  he  hid 
so  long  in  the  darkness  that  he  became  the  Genonsgwa,  a 
new  creature  to  terrify  men-being. 

THE  GENONSGWA.1 

The  Genonsgwa  was  a  monster  terrible  for  his  anger 
and  fierceness.  But  one  spot  on  his  entire  being  was  vul- 
nerable and  that  was  a  certain  spot  on  the  bottom  of  his 
foot.  The  Holder  of  the  Heavens  did  not  pursue  this  soli- 
tary fugitive,  but  rested  content  in  the  fact  that  the  race 
of  stone  giants  was  destroyed  and  that  this  one  survivor 
would  not  be  particularly  harmful  when  his  fury  subsided 
and  his  terror  gave  way. 

For  many  years  the  Genonsgwa  lived  in  the  mountains, 


i    This  portion  of  the  legend  was  related  by  George  D.  Jimerson. 


THE  FALSE  FACE  COMPANY 


397 


or,  sallying  forth  on  long  journeys,  made  new  abodes  where 
for  a  time  he  dwelt.  Sometimes  in  fits  of  rage  he  would 
rush  from  his  cavern  in  the  rocks  and  hurl  stones  into  the 
rivers  until  he  had  made  a  waterfall,  the  booming  of  whose 
waters  made  noises  like  the  voices  of  the  Hi"nos,  and  then 
in  his  madness,  he  would  call  up  to  the  father  of  thunders, 
and  he,  looking  down,  would  become  enraged  at  the  insolent 
Genonsgwa  and  fling  his  fires  down  upon  his  cave  retreats 
in  the  mountains.  Then  when  the  earth  shook  with  the 
rumbling  of  thunders,  reminding  Genonsgwa  of  the  awful 
day  when  the  Holder  of  the  Heavens  shook  down  the  rocks, 
he  would  crawl  far  back  into  the  rocks  and  the  listener  miles 
away  might  hear  his  voice  as  he  moaned  and  pleaded  and 
quarreled  with  the  powers  that  threatened  his  life. 

As  the  years  went  by,  Genonsgwa  became  more  human 
and  his  spirit  was  quelled,  but  yet  those  who  sought  him 
found  no  mercy  for  he  was  the  last  of  the  stone  giants.  No 
one  could  see  him,  so  terrible  was  his  visage  and  so  strong 
was  his  magic. 

Now  at  this  time  a  hunter  lost  his  direction  in  a  strange 
forest  and  though  he  traveled  far  and  sought  with  vision 
keen  the  trail  that  should  lead  him  out,  he  failed.  A  terrific 
hail  storm  broke  from  the  heavens  and  snapped  the  branches 
and  ripped  off  the  leaves  of  the  trees  and  beat  down  the 
underbrush  and  the  hunter  was  bruised  and  dazed  by  the 
tumult  of  the  storm.  All  day  he  wandered,  wading  blindly 
through  marshes  or  stumbling  through  windfalls,  wounded 
and  bleeding.  The  hail  like  sharp  flints  still  rained  from 
the  skies  and  the  thunders  still  rumbled  their  threats  and 
the  hunter  feared  the  anger  of  the  heavens.  A  great  rock 
like  a  deep  shadow  loomed  up  dark  against  the  trees  and 
the  hunter  hurried  to  it  and  found  a  great  cavern  for  a 
shelter.  When  the  leaves  had  been  carried  into  a  comer 
by  the  wind  he  made  himself  a  bed  and  slept. 

The  rock  shook  and  the  hunter  awoke  and  thought  the 
great  turtle  moving  from  his  moorings.   A  rhythmic  roaring 


398 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


filled  his  mind  with  fear.  A  voice  cried  out,  "You  are  in 
my  lodge  without  permission !  Who  was  it  that  bid  you 
enter !    Do  you  not  know  that  I  kill  everybody  !" 

The  voice  was  terrifying  and  hurt  the  hunter's  ears  like 
thunder  when  it  is  very  close.  Then  again  it  spoke.  "Oh 
warrior,  see  by  my  eye-light  the  bones  of  people  who  have 
sought  me  to  kill  me, — they  are  a  yellow  powder!  Listen! 
I  know  you  came  without  intent  of  evil  and  therefore  you 
shall  not  suffer.  I  am  the  last  of  the  kind  of  men  that  were 
here  before  men  came  here,  so  harken,  for  I  have  seen  the 
earth  in  its  making.  When  the  turtle's  back  was  small  I 
lived  here.  My  brothers  are  all  departed  but  their  spirits 
still  are  living.  They  are  in  the  forest's  depths  and  live 
within  the  trees.  Only  you  must  dream  and  you  shall  see 
their  faces.  Some  are  monsters,  some  are  human,  some  are 
like  the  beasts, — but  dream  and  see  them.  Then  go  forth 
and  carve  their  faces  on  the  basswood  that  speaks  when 
you  approach.  It  is  my  voice  speaking.  Be  wise  and  learn 
my  secrets,  how  disease  is  healed,  how  man  and  beast  and 
plant  have  the  same  great  kind  of  life,  how  man  and  beast 
and  plant  may  talk  together  and  learn  each  other's  mission. 
Go  and  live  with  the  trees  and  birds  and  beasts  and  fish  and 
learn  to  honor  them  as  your  own  brothers.  I  will  be  with 
you  always  in  your  learning.  Go  now  and  carve  the  faces 
that  you  see  in  your  dreaming  and  carry  back  the  faces  to 
your  people,  and  you  and  those  that  see  them  shall  organize 
a  society  to  preserve  my  teaching.  Moreover,  that  posterity 
may  not  forget  me  and  these  words  I  speak  within  the 
mother  turtle's  shell,  I  bid  you  collect  many  turtles  and 
make  rattles  of  their  shells  and  when  the  company  of  faces 
shall  shake  them,  let  all  who  know  my  wisdom  and  remem- 
ber you  and  your  adventure  and  me  and  who  I  am." 

For  a  long  time  the  hunter  meditated  upon  the  wisdom 
of  the  giant  within  the  cave  and  when  the  wisdom  was 
imbedded  in  his  mind  he  lay  down  and  slept  again  and  had 
visions  of  strange  things.    When  he  awoke  he  found  him- 


THE  FALSE  FACE  COMPANY 


399 


self  lying  at  the  foot  of  an  enormous  basswood  tree  that  as 
he  looked  at  it  it  transformed  itself  into  a  great  face  like 
one  he  had  seen  in  his  dreams. 

THE  FALSE  FACE. 

Unfolding  from  the  trunk  of  the  basswood,  the  great 
face  stared  out  at  the  spellbound  hunter  and  opening  wide 
its  wide  protruding  lips  began  to  speak.  He  told  of  his 
wonderful  eyesight,  its  blazing  eyes  could  see  behind  the 
moon  and  stars.  His  power  could  summon  the  storms  or 
push  aside  the  clouds  for  the  sunshine.  He  knew  all  the 
virtues  of  roots  and  herbs,  he  knew  all  the  diseases  and 
knew  how  to  apply  the  remedies  of  herbs  and  roots.  He 
was  familiar  with  all  the  poisons  and  could  send  them 
through  the  air  and  cure  the  sick.  He  could  breathe  health 
or  sickness.  His  power  was  mighty  and  could  bring  luck 
in  battles.  Evil  and  poison  and  death  fled  when  he  looked, 
and  good  health  and  life  came  in  its  stead.  He  told  of  the 
basswood  and  said  that  its  soft  wood  was  filled  with  medi- 
cine and  life.  It  contained  the  life  of  the  wind  and  the  life 
of  the  sunshine,  and  thus  being  good,  was  the  wood  for  the 
false-faces  that  the  hunter  must  carve. 

Long  the  hunter  listened  to  the  words  of  the  giant  false- 
face  and  then  he  wandered  far  into  the  forest  until  the  trees 
began  to  speak.  Then  he  knew  that  there  were  trees  there  in 
which  were  the  spirits  of  the  beings  of  which  he  had 
dreamed  and  that  the  Genonsgwa  was  speaking.  He  knew 
that  now  his  task  of  carving  must  begin  and  that  the  dream- 
beings,  the  voices,  the  birds  and  the  animals  that  he  saw 
must  be  represented  in  the  basswood  masks  that  he  must 
make.  And  so  he  began,  and  for  a  score  of  years  he  con- 
tinued his  carving.  He  lived  among  the  animals  and  trees 
and  learned  all  that  they  could  tell,  becoming  so  attached 
to  the  things  of  life  that  men  call  beneath  them,  that  he 
wished  forever  to  stay  and  be  as  a  brother  to  the  animals 


400 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


and  trees.  But  a  day  came  when  the  giant's  voice  spoke 
from  a  basswood  tree  and  bade  him  return  to  his  kinsman. 
The  hunter  who  had  entered  the  forest  young  now  was  old. 
He  was  filled  with  knowledge  and  mysteries  and  was  wiser 
than  all  men  living.  Gathering  up  the  many  faces  that  he 
had  carved  he  made  them  into  one  big  bundle  and  lifted  it 
upon  his  broad  shoulders  and  found  the  trail  that  led  from 
the  forest  to  the  villages  of  his  people.  Of  strange  appear- 
ance and  of  gigantic  proportions,  he  entered  the  council  hall 
of  his  nation  and  calling  a  chosen  few  together  told  the 
story  of  his  adventure  and  related  the  laws  of  the  order  of 
which  he  was  the  delegated  founder. 

THE  FALSE  FACE  SOCIETY.1 

The  society,  known  as  the  False  Face  Company,  was  to 
be  a  most  secret  one  and  only  for  a  qualified  number.  Its 
object  was  to  benefit,  protect  and  help  all  living  things  of 
earth.  Its  meetings  were  to  be  held  only  when  the  moon 
was  away  and  when  there  was  no  light  in  the  night.  The 
hunter  taught  the  chosen  band  a  new  dance  and  a  new  song 
and  beat  time  with  a  large  turtle  shell  as  he  sang.  He  ex- 
plained the  meanings  of  the  masks  and  distributed  them 
among  the  band,  telling  each  person  his  special  duty  to  the 
new  society.  He  explained  the  relation  of  mankind  to  the 
rest  of  nature  and  enjoined  all  to  use  every  influence  to 
protect  all  living  nature.  In  return  for  this  kindness  he 
promised  that  a  great  power  should  come  upon  them,  the 
power  of  the  spirits  of  the  Genonsgwa,  and  how  they 
should  become  great  medicine  men,  whose  power  should  be 
over  the  spirits  of  the  elements.  He  unfolded  and  con- 
ducted the  band  through  all  the  elaborate  ceremonies  that 
had  been  taught  him  in  the  forest  by  the  animals  and  trees 
and  spirits  of  the  Genonsgwa.    The  Company  was  to  have 


i    Related  by  Edward  Cornplanter. 


THE  FALSE  FACE  COMPANY 


401 


no  outward  sign  and  members  were  to  recognize  one  an- 
other only  by  having  sat  together  in  a  ceremony. 

So  deeply  was  the  assembled  company  impressed  by  the 
hunter's  words  that  the  new  society  at  once  became  a  strong 
and  well  united  organization  and  other  lodges  spread  rap- 
idly through  all  the  nations  of  the  Iroquois  and  the  False 
Face  Company  became  one  of  the  greatest  factors  for  good 
that  the  people  had  ever  known.  They  drove  all  the  witches 
away  and  cured  all  the  sickness  of  the  people. 

THE  MASK-MAKING  CEREMONY. 

The  masks  are  carved  from  living  basswood  trees  and 
are  thereby  supposed  to  contain  a  portion  of  the  life  or 
spirit  of  the  tree.  In  making  these  masks  the  Iroquois 
select  the  basswood  not  alone  for  its  absorbent  quality  which 
is  supposed  to  "draw  out"  disease,  but  for  its  remedial 
values  as  well.  In  solution  a  tea  of  its  bark  will  cure  a 
cold  and  relieve  spasmodic  affections.  Its  astringent  sap 
is  applied  to  relieve  wounds  and  bruises,  while  the  mask 
itself  is  supposed  to  be  of  signal  importance  in  the  relief 
of  corruptive  diseases. 

In  the  ceremonies  attending  the  making  of  a  living  mask, 
the  tree  is  visited  for  three  days.  At  the  dawn  of  the  first 
day  the  leaders  of  the  False  Face  Society  gather  around 
the  tree  and  smoke  the  sacred  tobacco  into  the  roots  and 
throughout  the  branches  to  their  topmost.  As  the  smoke 
"lifts  to  the  sunrise"  songs  of  incantation  are  sung  and 
the  tree  is  asked  to  consent  to  share  its  heart  with  whomso- 
ever the  sacred  gift  is  to  be  sent.  At  sunrise  the  ceremony 
is  repeated  and  the  next  day  continued  in  the  same  manner 
until  the  three  days'  propitiation  chant  is  completed  and 
then  the  axe  is  lifted  to  the  tree.  If  at  the  first  stroke  of 
the  axe  the  tree  remain  firm  and  unbending  it  has  consented 
to  lend  its  heart.  An  outline  of  the  face  is  then  drawn  on 
the  bark  and  cut  into  the  tree  to  a  depth  of  about  six  inches. 


402 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


After  thanking  the  tree  this  block  is  gouged  out  to  be  carved 
into  the  desired  shape  during  a  final  song  and  dance  that 
concluded  the  ceremony. 


GENERAL  NOTES. — This  account  of  the  stone  giants  or  stone 
coats,  Ge°non"sgwa',  has  been  compiled  from  the  accounts  of  several 
informants.  There  appears  to  be  some  confusion  as  to  the  origin  of 
the  stone  coats  as  well  as  a  disagreement  as  to  the  origin  of  the  false 
faces.  In  one  widely  accepted  account  the  Hadui  false  faces  were 
the  whirlwind  spirits ;  in  this  account  the  last  survivor  of  the  stone 
giants  is  the  founder  of  the  False  Face  Company.  In  1903  I  was 
given  a  wooden  mask  covered  with  sand  and  pebbles  and  having  a 
large  flint  arrowhead  in  the  center  of  the  forehead.  The  Cattaraugus 
Seneca  woman  who  gave  it  to  me  stated  that  it  was  a  secret  mask 
and  represented  the  stone  giant.  There  appears,  therefore,  to  be  a 
ceremonial  connection  between  the  stone  giants  and  the  false  faces. 


71.    THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  LONG  HOUSE.1 


Chief  Big  Kittle  relates  the  following  story  of  the 
origin  of  the  League  of  the  Five  Nations. 

Where  the  Mohawk  river  empties  into  the  Hudson  in 
ancient  times  there  was  a  Mohawk  village.  The  people 
there  were  fierce  and  warlike  and  were  continually  sending 
out  war  parties  against  other  settlements  and  returning 
would  bring  back  long  strings  of  scalps  to  number  the  lives 
they  had  destroyed.  But  sometimes  they  left  their  own 
scalps  behind  and  never  returned.  They  loved  warfare 
better  than  all  other  things  and  were  happy  when  their 
hands  were  slimy  with  blood.  They  boasted  that  they  would 
eat  up  all  other  nations  and  so  they  continued  to  go  against 
other  tribes  and  fight  with  them. 

Now  among  the  Mohawks  was  a  chief  named  Dekana- 
wi'da,  a  very  wise  man,  and  he  was  very  sad  of  heart  be- 
cause his  people  loved  war  too  well.  So  he  spoke  in  council 
and  implored  them  to  desist  lest  they  perish  altogether  but 
the  young  warriors  would  not  hear  him  and  laughed  at  his 
words  but  he  did  not  cease  to  warn  them  until  at  last  dis- 
pairing  of  moving  them  by  ordinary  means  he  turned  his 
face  to  the  west  and  wept  as  he  journeyed  onward  and 
away  from  his  people.  At  length  he  reached  a  lake  whose 
shores  were  fringed  with  bushes,  and  being  tired  he  lay 
down  to  rest.  Presently,  as  he  lay  meditating,  he  heard 
the  soft  spattering  of  water  sliding  from  a  skillful  paddle 
and  peering  out  from  his  hiding  place  he  saw  in  the  red 
light  of  sunset  a  man  leaning  over  his  canoe  and  dipping 
into  the  shallow  water  with  a  basket.  When  he  raised 
it  up  it  was  full  of  shells,  the  shells  of  the  periwinkles  that 
live  in  shallow  pools.  The  man  pushed  his  canoe  toward 
the  shore  and  sat  down  on  the  beach  where  he  kindled  a 

l  Related  by  Delos  B.  Kittle,  Jan.,  1905,  at  Newtown,  Cattaraugus 
reservation. 

403 


404 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


fire.  Then  he  began  to  string  his  shells  and  finishing  a 
string  would  touch  the  shells  and  talk.  Then,  as  if  satis- 
fied, he  would  lay  it  down  and  make  another  until  he  had  a 
large  number.  Dekaniwida  watched  the  strange  proceeding 
with  wonder.  The  sun  had  long  since  set  but  Dekanawida 
still  watched  the  man  with  the  shell  strings  sitting  in  the 
flickering  light  of  the  fire  that  shadowed  the  bushes  and 
shimmered  over  the  lake. 

After  some  deliberation  he  called  out,  "Kwe,  I  am  a 
friend!"  and  stepping  out  upon  the  sand  stood  before  the 
man  with  the  shells.  "I  am  Dekanawida,"  he  said,  "and 
come  from  the  Mohawk." 

"I  am  Haio'went'ha  of  the  Onondaga,"  came  the  reply. 

The  Dekanawida  inquired  about  the  shell  strings  for  he 
was  very  curious  to  know  their  import  and  Haio'went'ha 
answered,  "They  are  the  rules  of  life  and  laws  of  good 
government.  This  all  white  string  is  a  sign  of  truth,  peace 
and  good  will,  this  black  string  is  a  sign  of  hatred,  of  war 
and  of  a  bad  heart,  the  string  with  the  alternate  beads,  black 
and  white,  is  a  sign  that  peace  should  exist  between  the 
nations.  This  string  with  white  on  either  end  and  black  in 
the  middle  is  a  sign  that  wars  must  end  and  peace  declared." 
And  so  Haiowentha  lifted  his  strings  and  read  the  laws. 

Then  said  Dekanawida,  "You  are  my  friend  indeed,  and 
the  friend  of  all  nations. — Our  people  are  weak  from  war- 
ring and  weak  from  being  warred  upon.  We  who  speak  one 
tongue  should  combine  against  the  Hadiondas  instead  of 
helping  them  by  killing  one  another  but  my  people  are 
weary  of  my  advising  and  would  not  hear  me." 

"I,  too,  am  of  the  same  mind,"  said  Haiowentha,  "but 
Tatodaho  slew  all  my  brothers  and  drove  me  away.  So  I 
came  to  the  lakes  and  have  made  the  laws  that  should  gov- 
ern men  and  nations.  I  believe  that  we  should  be  as 
brothers  in  a  family  instead  of  enemies." 

"Then  come  with  me,"  said  Dekanawida,  "and  together 


THE  ORIGIN  OF  THE  LONG  HOUSE 


405 


let  us  go  back  to  my  people  and  explain  the  rules  and 
laws." 

So  when  they  had  returned  Dekanawida  called  a  council 
of  all  the  chiefs  and  warriors  and  the  women  and  Haiowen- 
tha  set  forth  the  plan  he  had  devised.  The  words  had  a 
marvelous  effect.  The  people  were  astonished  at  the  wis- 
dom of  the  strange  chief  from  the  Onondaga  and  when 
he  had  finished  his  exposition  the  chiefs  promised  obedience 
to  his  laws.  They  delegated  Dekanawida  to  go  with  him  to 
the  Oneida  and  council  with  them,  then  to  go  onward  to 
Onondaga  and  win  over  the  arrogant  erratic  Tatodaho,  the 
tyrannical  chief  of  the  Onondaga.  Thus  it  was  that  together 
they  went  to  the  Oneida  country  and  won  over  their  great 
chief  and  made  the  people  promise  to  support  the  proposed 
league.  Then  the  Oneida  chief  went  with  Haiowentha  to 
the  Cayugas  and  told  them  how  by  supporting  the  league 
they  might  preserve  themselves  against  the  fury  of  Tato- 
daho. So  when  the  Cayuga  had  promised  allegiance 
Dekanawida  turned  his  face  toward  Onondaga  and  with  his 
comrades  went  before  Tatodaho.  Now  when  Tatodaho 
learned  how  three  nations  had  combined  against  him  he 
became  very  angry  and  ran  into  the  forest  where  he  gnawed 
at  his  fingers  and  ate  grass  and  leaves.  His  evil  thoughts 
became  serpents  and  sprouted  from  his  skull  and  waving 
in  a  tangled  mass  hissed  out  venom.  But  Dekanawida  did 
not  fear  him  and  once  more  asked  him  to  give  his  consent 
to  a  league  of  peace  and  friendship  but  he  was  still  wild 
until  Haiowentha  combed  the  snakes  from  his  head  and 
told  him  that  he  should  be  the  head  chief  of  the  confeder- 
acy and  govern  it  according  to  the  laws  that  Haiowentha 
had  made.  Then  he  recovered  from  his  madness  and 
asked  why  the  Seneca  had  not  been  visited  for  the  Seneca 
outnumbered  all  the  other  nations  and  were  fearless  war- 
riors. "If  their  jealousy  is  aroused,"  he  said,  "they  will 
eat  us." 

Then  the  delegations  visited  the  Seneca  and  the  other 


406 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


nations  to  the  west  but  only  the  Seneca  would  consider  the 
proposal.    The  other  nations  were  exceedingly  jealous. 

Thus  a  peace  pact  was  made  and  the  Long  House  built 
and  Dekanawida  was  the  builder  but  Haiowentha  was  its 
designer. 

Now  moreover  the  first  council  of  Haiowentha  and 
Dekanawida  was  in  a  place  now  called  Albany  at  the  mouth 
of  a  small  stream  that  empties  into  the  Hudson. 


The  great  council  belt  of  the  Five  Nations.  Each  square  represents 
a  nation  and  the  heart  in  the  center  represents  the  Onondaga. 


72.    DEAD  TIMBER,  A  TRADITION  OF  ALBANY.1 

There  was  a  time  of  wars.  The  white  men  were  angry 
with  the  Indians  and  organized  an  expedition  against  them. 
The  Mohawk  had  done  something  and  the  white  men  were 
going  up  the  Hudson  river  to  fight  them. 

Now  an  Indian  family  lived  in  Ganonoh  (Manhattan 
island),  and  the  father  said  to  the  boy,  "Take  this  oshoe 
and  run  up  to  our  people  and  do  not  stop  until  you  warn 
them  that  the  white  soldiers  are  coming."  So  the  boy  ran 
and  when  he  had  found  a  canoe  he  crossed  over  the  river 
and  ran  again.  Now  when  he  thought  that  he  was  near  the 
Mohawk  river  he  gave  a  cry  "goweh  !  goweh  !  goweh  !"  and 
at  intervals  he  continued  to  cry,  "goweh !" 

After  a  time  a  Mohawk  chief  in  the  woods  heard  the 
cry  "goweh"  and  ran  out  to  see  who  was  coming  and  when 
he  saw  the  boy  he  said  "follow  me,"  and  ran  to  the  village 
where  he  called  a  council.  Here  the  boy  told  how  a  party 
had  been  sent  against  them  and  how  his  father  had  sent 
him  to  warn  them  just  as  the  soldiers  were  leaving  and 
how  for  more  than  two  days  he  had  kept  in  advance  of  the 
white  men.  The  chiefs  listened  attentively  and  then  ordered 
everyone  to  hide  what  they  could  not  carry  for  they  would 
burn  the  village  before  the  soldiers  arrived.  So  the  chiefs 
set  fire  to  all  the  houses  and  took  the  people  to  a  safe 
retreat  further  up  the  river.  Now  when  the  women  and 
children  were  safe  the  warriors  selected  five  of  their  swift- 
est runners  and  sent  them  back  to  discover  where  the 
enemy  was.  Stealthily  they  made  their  way  through  the 
underbrush  and  found  the  white  men  encamped  near  the 
burned  village.  So  the  runners  went  back  and  the  warriors 
followed  them.  Some  men  were  walking  around  the  camp 
but  a  few  arrows  prevented  them  from  giving  an  alarm. 
The  white  men  were  sleeping  on  beds  of  leaves  wrapped 


i    Related  by  Delos  Big  Kittle. 

407 


408 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


in  blankets.  Their  arms  were  not  at  their  sides  but  stacked 
up  in  piles  like  bean  poles.  The  warriors  surrounded  the 
camp,  gave  the  cry,  "baha  a  a  a  ah!"  and  dashed  upon  the 
sleeping  men  and  killed  them  all  before  they  could  reach 
their  arms.  So  the  Mohawk  were  not  punished.  They 
built  a  new  village.  Now  the  next  spring  the  trees  all  died 
for  a  great  distance  around  the  place  where  the  soldiers  had 
been  killed  and  there  was  a  big  dead  woods  there  and  to 
this  day  we  call  it  Dyohadai  (Dead  Timber),  but  the  white 
men  call  it  Albany. 


APPENDIX 


XI. 


APPENDIX 

A.    ORIGIN  OF  THE  WORLD. 

Related  by  Esquire  Johnson  and  Recorded  by  Mrs. 
Laura  M.  Wright.1 

Many  moons  ago,  there  was  a  vast  expanse  of  water, 
seemingly  boundless  in  extent.  Above  it  was  the  great 
blue  arch  of  air,  but  no  signs  of  anything  solid  or  tangible. 
High  above  the  lofty  blue  expanse  of  the  clear  sky  was  an 
unseen  floating  island,  sufficiently  firm  to  allow  trees  to 
grow  upon  it,  and  there  men-beings  were.  There  was  one 
great  Chief  who  gave  the  law  to  all  the  Ongweh  or  beings 
on  the  Island.  In  the  center  of  the  Island  there  grew  a 
tree  so  tall  that  no  one  of  the  beings  who  lived  there  could 
see  its  top.  On  its  branches,  flowers  and  fruit  hung  all  the 
year  around,  for  there  was  no  summer  or  winter  there,  or 
day  or  night. 

The  beings  who  lived  on  the  Island  used  to  come  oflen 
to  the  tree  and  eat  the  fruit  and  smell  the  sweet  perfume 
of  its  flowers.  On  one  occasion  the  Chief  desired  that  the 
tree  might  be  pulled  up.  After  some  time  one  of  the  people 
volunteered  to  pull  it  up.  He  was  very  strong  and  after 
one  or  two  efforts  he  succeeded  in  uprooting  it.  The  Great 
Chief  was  called  to  look  at  the  great  pit  which  was  to  be 
seen  where  the  tree  had  stood.  As  he  and  his  wife  stood 
looking  down,  he  saw  a  little  light  very  far  down,  down  in 
the  pit.  As  his  wife  stood  looking  intently,  gazing  at  the  pit 
by  the  side  of  her  husband,  he  suddenly  pushed  her  in.  She 
fell  down,  down,  until  her  husband  lost  sight  of  her  entirely 

l  From  the  original  notes  of  Laura  M.  Wright,  the  missionary  to 
the  Seneca,  1835-1887.    The  manuscript  bears  the  date  1876. 

411 


412  SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 

and  forever.  On  the  great  expanse  of  water  below  there 
were  sporting  an  innumerable  number  of  water  fowl,  and 
in  the  water  there  were  a  variety  of  amphibious  animals 
such  as  beaver,  otter,  muskrats,  etc.  One  of  the  fowls 
looked  up  and  saw  the  woman  coming  slowly  down — and 
immediately  gave  the  alarm.  One  wiser  than  the  rest  said : 
"What  shall  we  do  ?  She  will  be  killed.  We  must  get  some 
oehdah  (dirt)  for  her  to  stand  on."  They  all  looked  anxious- 
ly about.  The  muskrat  told  them  that  he  had  seen  oehdah 
far  down  below  the  bottom  of  the  water  and  he  could  bring 
some  up.  The  turtle  offered  his  shell  for  a  support  and 
the  muskrat  commenced  diving.  After  several  ineffectual 
attempts  he  succeeded  in  bringing  up  a  small  lump  of  earth 
and  put  it  on  the  turtle's  back,  which  immediately  com- 
menced to  increase  in  dimensions,  and  as  it  grew  in  size,  the 
turtle  spread  out  more  and  more  to  support  the  woman. 
The  fowls  began  to  fly  upward  to  meet  the  woman  who 
they  perceived  was  much  exhausted.  They  received  her  on 
their  wings  and  landed  her  safely  on  the  turtle's  shell.  The 
woman  soon  recovered  and  looked  around  her  much  sur- 
prised at  her  new  companions.  She  soon  began  to  wander 
over  the  Island  as  it  seemed  to  her.  At  stated  periods  she 
went  around  it  and  soon  noticed  that  it  took  her  a  longer 
time  to  make  its  circuit,  so  she  concluded  that  it  was  grow- 
ing larger  all  the  time.  As  the  time  passed  away  the  ogweh 
woman  became  quite  reconciled  to  her  new  home  and  then 
she  gave  birth  to  a  daughter  to  whom  she  devoted  all  her 
time,  and  forgot  her  old  friends  in  the  love  she  felt  for  her 
child.  The  daughter  grew  very  fast  and  was  very  obedient 
to  her  mother.  In  time  the  mother  gave  up  going  around 
the  Island  at  regular  intervals  and  sent  her  daughter  to  per- 
form the  duty,  who  ran  around  the  Island  much  interested 
and  delighted  with  the  task.  Wonderful  to  relate,  to  the 
great  surprise  and  sorrow  of  the  woman  the  daughter  gave 
birth  to  twin  boys  and  immediately  died.  The  mother  was 
greatly  distressed  at  the  loss  of  her  daughter  and  after 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  WORLD 


413 


mourning  over  her  some  time,  she  made  a  grave  for  her 
in  the  soft  rich  earth,  of  which  the  Island  was  composed, 
and  buried  her.  She  took  the  boys  in  her  arms  and  told 
them  they  should  not  suffer  for  she  would  take  care  of 
them.  The  children  grew  rapidly  to  manhood,  and  were 
very  strong  and  active.  The  woman  used  often  to  go  to 
the  grave  of  her  daughter  and  watched  it  very  carefully. 
At  length  she  perceived  something  growing  in  two  hills 
over  the  bosom  of  her  daughter.  After  a  while  she  com- 
manded the  eldest  to  repair  to  the  grave.  She  said,  "You 
must  take  charge  of  what  you  find  there.  See  that  nothing 
is  lost."  When  he  came  to  the  grave  he  found  the  two  hills 
his  grandmother  had  seen.  From  one,  corn  was  growing, 
and  from  the  other  beans,  which  he  carefully  picked  and 
brought  to  his  grandmother,  who  said  to  him,  "Take  good 
care  of  them  that  those  of  whom  you  may  hereafter  say, 
'they  are  my  descendents'  may  eat  of  it,  for  you  are  of 
the  earth  and  must  live  from  what  grows  out  of  the  earth." 
He  carefully  preserved  and  planted  the  corn  and  beans,  and 
at  harvest  there  was  a  great  increase  and  then  he  began  to 
eat  the  fruit  of  his  labor.  As  yet  there  was  no  other  plant 
or  grass  on  the  Island.  Having  seen  the  great  value  of 
what  he  had  planted,  he  was  suddenly  inspired  with  a  desire 
to  see  other  things  grow  and  he  spoke  authoritatively  and 
said,  "Let  grass  grow  and  cover  the  surface  of  the  Island." 
Immediately  grass  began  to  spring  up  looking  green  and 
fresh,  and  it  made  everything  look  beautiful.  He  then  com- 
manded the  willow  to  grow  and  many  kinds  of  plants  and 
trees  which  bore  fruit,  and  the  appearance  of  the  Island 
was  much  improved.  Then  his  grandmother  said  to  him 
with  a  very  solemn  and  impressive  manner :  "Notv  you  must 
go  and  seek  your  father  until  you  find  him,  and  when  you 
see  him  you  must  ask  him  to  give  you  Power."  Pointing  to 
the  east,  she  said,  "He  lives  in  this  direction.  You  must 
keep  on  until  you  reach  the  limits  of  the  Island,  and  then 
upon  the  waters  until  you  come  to  a  high  mountain,  which 


414 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


rises  out  of  the  water  which  you  must  climb  to  the  summit. 
There  you  will  see  a  wonderful  being  sitting  on  the  highest 
peak.  You  need  not  be  afraid  of  him.  He  will  not  hurt  you. 
You  must  obey  him  in  everything.  You  must  say  to  him, 
'I  am  your  son,  I  have  come  to  ask  you  to  give  me  Power.' 
He  will  say  to  you  'I  never  saw  you  before.  I  do  not  know 
you.  But  if  you  are  my  son,  then  take  that  stone  and 
throw  it  up  very  high.'  "  The  stone  his  father  pointed  at 
was  a  very  large  rock  which  covered  a  good  deal  of  ground, 
but  the  son  did  not  hesitate,  he  took  it  up  as  though  it  had 
been  a  pebble,  and  threw  it  up  very  high,  and  when  it  came 
down  it  broke  into  a  great  many  pieces  which  rolled  down 
the  mountain.  The  wonderful  being  seemed  much  pleased 
and  said,  "I  am  now  satisfied  that  you  are  my  son,  and  I 
will  give  you  the  power  you  want."  Suddenly  a  great  roar- 
ing wind  began  to  blow,  and  a  very  bright  light  followed  so 
that  he  could  see  his  father  very  plainly  as  he  sat  on  top  of 
the  mountain.  Then  there  was  a  loud  noise  and  fire  fell 
and  great  streams  of  water  rushed  by  him.  After  a  little 
there  was  a  calm.  Then  his  father  said  to  him,  "With  these 
you  will  have  power  to  perform  anything  you  wish  to 
undertake."  He  then  gave  him  a  bag  which  he  charged  him 
not  to  open  till  he  got  to  his  Island  home.  Receiving  the 
bag  he  laid  it  upon  his  shoulders  and  turned  toward  home. 
At  first  the  bag  seemed  quite  light  and  easy  to  carry,  but 
he  noticed  that  it  grew  heavier  as  he  carried  it  along,  and 
as  he  drew  near  the  Island,  its  weight  seemed  almost  insup- 
portable, and  when  he  came  within  a  bound  of  the  shore,  he 
came  very  near  losing  it.  He  took  one  step  upon  the  land 
and  down  upon  the  earth  the  bag  fell.  He  could  not  take 
a  second  step.  The  mouth  of  the  bag  opened  as  it  fell  and 
there  came  out  birds  of  every  kind  and  color.  They  flew 
into  the  woods  and  lighted  on  the  branches  of  the  trees 
and  opened  their  throats  and  poured  forth  the  richest  and 
sweetest  songs,  and  while  the  birds  sung  and  flew  from 
tree  to  tree  the  quadrupeds  came  out  of  the  bag.  They 


ORIGIN  OF  THE  WORLD 


415 


sprang  upon  the  grass  and  into  the  woods.  The  deer  and 
bear,  the  porcupine,  rabbits  and  foxes  each  soon  found  their 
natural  places, — all  in  perfect  harmony,  roamed  over  the 
Island  together. 

When  the  younger  brother  saw  how  successful  his 
brother  had  been  in  producing  useful  and  beautiful  things, 
he  was  filled  with  jealousy  and  envy  amounting  to  hatred, 
and  began  to  devise  plans  to  thwart  him  in  his  good  work, 
by  trying  to  spoil  some  things  he  had  made  and  he  thought 
he  would  kill  him  if  he  could  find  means  to  do  it.  So  he 
commenced  questioning  his  brother,  "What  do  you  think 
would  most  likely  be  fatal  to  your  life?"  He  replied,  "I 
think  the  leaves  of  the  cattail  flag  might  kill  me  if  I  should 
be  pierced  by  them."  So  the  younger  brother  got  a  bunch 
of  the  leaves,  and  thrust  them  at  him  hoping  to  pierce  him, 
but  the  leaves  only  bent  and  did  not  hurt  him  at  all. 

Then  he  asked  him  again,  "What  do  you  fear  most  of 
all  things?"  He  replied,  "I  am  afraid  of  deer's  horns,  they 
are  so  sharp  and  hard."  Then  the  younger  brother  went 
into  the  woods  and  found  a  cast-off  horn  with  which  he 
chased  his  brother  into  the  woods  trying  to  hit  him  with 
it.  At  last  the  older  brother  turned  to  the  younger  and 
said,  "Now  you  must  stop  your  bad  work.  See  how  you 
have  spoiled  the  fruit  of  the  crab-apple  tree.  Taste  of  its 
juice.  You  must  not  go  on  spoiling  things  in  this  way.  If 
you  do  not  stop,  I  shall  punish  you.  I  will  shut  you  up 
in  darkness  beneath  the  ground  with  some  of  the  animals 
who  don't  like  light,  as  the  mole  and  the  hedgehog.  These 
hands  will  not  destroy  you,  but  I  will  put  you  where  you 
can  not  do  mischief. 

"Your  dominions  shall  be  in  the  darkness  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  ground  for  I  shall  make  light."  Then  turn- 
ing and  addressing  the  birds  and  quadrupeds  he  told  them 
of  his  plan.  Some  of  them  objected  but  the  great  majority 
were  greatly  pleased. 

So  the  tree  of  light  was  created  and  from  it  sprang 


416 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


beautiful  flowers.  In  its  light,  the  older  brother  went  forth 
and  made  the  hills  and  valleys  and  into  the  valleys  he  poured 
out  the  water  of  his  mouth  and  it  formed  the  rivers  and 
creeks,  and  the  -waters  flowed  into  the  deep  valleys  and 
made  lakes.  Then  he  created  the  stars  and  the  moon  and 
to  the  moon  he  gave  the  task  of  marking  the  months  and 
the  years.  Then  he  made  a  new  light  and  hung  it  on  the 
neck  of  a  being  and  he  called  the  new  light  Gaa'  gwaa'  and 
instructed  its  bearer  to  run  his  course  daily  in  the  heavens 
over  the  earth.  "You  shall  go  each  day  and  perform  this 
duty  so  long  as  I  will  it,"  said  the  older  brother.  "I  will 
notify  you  when  I  wish  you  to  go  no  longer." 

The  moon  and  the  stars  shone  in  the  heavens  when  the 
sun  had  finished  his  day's  run  and  all  things  were  perfected. 
He  now  dug  up  the  tree  of  light  and  looking  into  the  pool 
of  water  in  which  the  stump  had  grown  he  saw  the  reflec- 
tion of  his  own  face  and  thereupon  conceived  the  idea  of 
creating  Ongwe  and  made  them,  both  a  man  and  a  woman. 
He  blessed  them  and  gave  them  dominion  over  all  things 
and  recapitulated  all  he  had  prepared  for  them  and  how 
he  had  created  good  things. 

"I  give  you  all  that  exists  upon  the  face  of  the  earth," 
he  said,  "all  which  the  earth  grows  and  maintains,  the  birds 
that  fill  the  air  and  the  fish  in  the  water.  You  two  are 
united  aht  tgea  nigaa  and  from  you  future  generations 
shall  succeed." 


B.    THE  WYANDOT  CREATION  MYTH  (Extract). 


Collected  by  C.  M.  Barbeau. 

"The  people  lived  beyond."  They  were  Wyandots. 
Word  was  sent  out  that  the  chief's  only  daughter  was  very 
sick;  and  that  all  the  doctors  had  in  vain  tried  to  cure  her 
disease.  A  specially  appointed  messenger  brought  back  a 
very  old  doctor  that  lived  far  away  from  the  rest  of  the 
people.  When  he  saw  the  chief's  daughter  he  told  the 
people,  at  once,  that  they  must  dig  around  the  roots  of  a 
wild  apple  tree  that  was  growing  just  a  little  way  out  from 
the  chief's  lodge.  Many  of  the  people  at  once  began  their 
digging  all  around  the  tree.  The  old  doctor  instructed 
them  to  bring  the  chief's  daughter,  and  place  her  under  the 
tree  as  near  the  edge  of  the  hole  (that  they  were  digging) 
as  thy  could,  "for,"  he  said,  "if  you  dig  down  into  the  roots 
of  the  tree,  you  will  find  something  that  will  cure  her  dis- 
ease." He  added  that  as  soon  as  she  would  see  this  object 
she  would  know  it ;  and  being  near  enough  she  could  stretch 
her  hand  out  and  take  it  at  once. 

So  they  brought  the  girl  and  placed  her  at  the  edge  of 
the  hole  that  they  had  dug  around  the  tree.  They  went 
on  digging  with  great  might.  As  soon  as  a  party  of  the 
diggers  became  tired,  another  stepped  into  the  hole  and  car- 
ried on  the  work.  When  they  had  placed  the  girl  at  the 
edge  of  the  hole,  a  party  of  the  diggers  had  stepped  out ; 
and  before  another  could  replace  it  the  people  were  startled 
by  a  terrific  roar  that  seemed  to  come  nearer  and  nearer. 
They  were  all  looking  and  wondering  whence  it  had  come. 
They  soon  discovered  that  all  the  ground  around  the  tree 
was  dropping  downwards.  Then  they  saw  the  tree  falling 
down  through  the  hole ;  the  sick  girl  being  pulled  down 
with  it,  entangled  in  its  branches.  The  world  underneath, 
into  which  the  tree  fell,  was  a  broad  sheet  of  water  about 

417 


418 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


which  no  land  was  to  be  seen.  On  the  water  were  swim- 
ming around  a  pair  of  great  white  birds  with  long  crooked 
necks :  I  suppose  they  were  swans.  They  heard  a  peal  of 
thunder  as  the  tree  was  falling  down ;  this  was  the  first 
peal  of  thunder  ever  heard  on  those  waters.  Both  of  them 
glanced  upwards  and  saw  the  woman  falling  down.  One 
of  them  said  to  the  other : — "What  a  strange  creature  it 
is  that  is  falling  down  from  above.  I  know  that  she  can  not 
be  borne  up  by  the  water ;  we  must  swim  close  together 
and  hold  her  upon  our  backs."  So  they  did,  and  the  woman 
fell  gently  upon  their  backs  and  rested  there.  Then,  as  they 
swam  along,  they  turned  their  long  necks  around  and  looked 
at  the  woman;  they  said  to  each  other: — "What  a  beautiful 
creature  it  is ;  but  what  shall  we  do  ;  we  can  not  always  swim 
this  way  and  hold  her  up.  What  shall  we  do?"  The  other 
replied : — "I  think  we  must  go  and  see  the  Big  Turtle.  He 
will  call  a  council  of  all  the  animals  to  decide  upon  what 
is  to  be  done  with  the  creature."  So  they  swam  away, 
found  the  Big  Turtle,  and  showed  him  the  woman  that  was 
resting  upon  their  backs.  Then  the  turtle  had  to  decide  as 
to  what  was  to  be  done.  A  "moccasin"  (ra"cu',  i.e.,  a 
messenger)  was  sent  around  to  call  the  animals  to  a  big 
council.  They  came  at  once,  and  were  all  in  a  great  won- 
der. For  a  long  time  they  looked  with  awe  at  the  wonder- 
ful creature.  Finally  the  Turtle  told  them  that  they  must 
come  to  a  decision  as  to  what  should  be  done  regarding  this 
creature ;  that  they  could  not  let  her  die  as — "she  must  have 
been  sent  to  them  for  some  good ;  that  since  she  had  thus 
come  to  them,  it  was  evident  that  their  duty  was  to  find 
some  place  for  her  to  live."  The  swans  came  forward  and 
spoke  of  the  tree  that  they  had  seen  falling  first.  Then 
some  one  else  got  up  and  said  that  if  the  place  could  be 
known  where  this  tree  had  fallen  into  the  water,  some  of 
the  divers  might  go  down  and  get  just  a  little  bit  of  the 
earth  that  must  be  clinging  to  its  roots.  The  Big  Turtle 
found  the  idea  a  good  one  and  advised  that  if  the  swans 


WYANDOT  CREATION  MYTH 


419 


could  show  the  very  place  where  the  tree  had  fallen,  some 
one  else  should  go  down  and  get  a  little  of  the  dirt  clinging 
to  its  roots;  that  an  island  could  be  made  with  it  for  the 
woman  to  rest  upon,  even  if  he  himself  (the  Turtle)  had 
to  hold  the  island  upon  his  back.  The  swans  told  the  ani- 
mals that  they  could  find  that  very  place ;  they  turned 
around,  and  swam  with  the  woman  upon  their  backs.  The 
other  animals  followed  until  they  came  to  the  place  where 
they  had  seen  the  tree  and  the  woman  falling.  There  they 
stopped.  The  Turtle  called  upon  the  otter,  the  best  diver, 
for  him  to  go  down  into  the  water  and  bring  back  some  of 
the  dirt  clinging  to  the  roots  of  the  tree.  The  otter  at  once 
dived  down.  As  he  had  been  for  some  time  out  of  sight 
the  other  animals  began  to  speculate  as  to  whether  he  was 
going  to  come  back.  By  and  by,  they  saw  him  coming  back 
through  the  water.  Upon  reaching  the  surface  he  was  so 
completely  exhausted  that  he  opened  his  mouth  to  gasp  a 
breath  and  went  down  again, — dead.  Then  the  muskrat 
was  appointed  to  dive  down.  He  remained  still  longer  under 
the  water.  The  same  fate  as  the  otter's  befell  him.  Then 
the  beaver  and  a  number  of  other  animals  tried  and  failed 
in  the  same  day  until  so  many  had  been  lost  that  way  that 
the  Turtle  said  he  would  not  call  upon  any  other  to  dive 
down.  He  suggested,  however,  that  somebody  should  vol- 
unteer to  do  so.  They  remained  in  expectation  for  a  little 
while.  Finally,  away  out  to  one  side,  a  little  old  ugly  toad 
(teno"skwaoye)  spoke  up  and  said  that  he  would  try.  The 
other  animals  looked  at  each  other,  laughing  and  jeering 
at  the  presumption  of  this  little  toad.  The  Big  Turtle,  how- 
ever, acceded  to  her  suggestion,  acknowledging  that  she 
might  perhaps  accomplish  what  the  others  had  failed  to  do. 
So  she  took  a  long  breath  and  down  she  went.  The  others 
all  gathered  around  and  watched  her  as  she  went  away 
down  out  of  sight  into  the  clear  waters.  For  a  long  time 
they  looked  downwards  with  the  expectation  of  seeing  her 
coming  back.    But  she  remained  so  long  in  the  water  that 


420 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  others  began  to  whisper  to  each  other  that  she  would 
not  come  back.  For  a  long  time  they  remained  in  expecta- 
tion. At  the  end  they  saw  a  bubble  of  water  coming  up 
towards  the  surface  of  the  water.  They  could  not  see  the 
toad  as  yet.  The  Turtle  said: — "She  must  be  coming.  I 
will  swim  right  over  the  spot  where  the  bubble  came  up ; 
and  if  the  toad  comes  back  we  shall  hold  her  up."  So  it 
was  done.  A  little  while  later  the  toad  appeared  away  down 
in  the  water.  Some  of  the  animals  said: — "She  must  have 
some  earth  as  she  has  been  gone  so  much  longer  than  the 
others."  Then  the  toad  emerged  from  the  surface  of  the 
water,  just  by  the  Big  Turtle.  Just  as  she  reached  the  sur- 
face she  opened  her  mouth  and  spat  out  a  few  grains  of 
earth  that  fell  upon  the  edge  of  the  shell  of  the  Big  Turtle. 
Then  she  gave  one  gasp  and  fell  back  dead.  As  soon  as 
those  grains  of  earth  had  fallen  upon  the  edge  of  the  Big 
Turtle's  shell,  the  Little  Turtle  came  forward  and  began 
spreading  it  and  rubbing  it  around  the  edge  of  the  Big  Tur- 
tle's shell.  While  she  was  so  doing  an  island  began  to 
grow  around  the  shell  of  the  Big  Turtle.  The  animals  were 
looking  at  it  while  it  was  growing.  After  it  had  grown 
into  a  place  large  enough  for  the  woman  to  rest  upon,  the 
two  white  swans  swam  to  its  edge  and  the  woman  stepped 
off  on  to  it. 

NOTE. — Recited  by  B.  N.  O.  "Walker,  Chief  Clerk  at  the  Quapaw 
U.  S.  Agency,  Wyandotte,  Oklahoma.  Mr.  Walker,  now  about  40  years 
of  age,  is  a  descendant  of  Wyandot  ancestors,  on  one  side,  and  of 
European  ancestors  on  the  other.  His  first  European  ancestor  was 
made  prisoner  by  the  Wyandots  in  Virginia,  when  a  child.  Mr.  Walker 
is  a  thoroughly  reliable  informant  who  has  often-times  heard  this 
myth,  as  well  as  others,  repeated  by  his  Aunt  Kitty  Greyeyes,  a  thor- 
oughbred Wyandot,  who  was  living  with  his  family.  Kitty  Greyeyes 
was  possessed  of  a  good  knowledge  of  both  English  and  Wyandot,  and 
she  had  learned  this  myth  in  Wyandot.  Kitty  Greyeyes  died  at  B. 
N.  O.  Walker's  father's  home,  when  he,  himself,  (B.  N.  O.  W. ),  was 
about  22  years  of  age.  Mr.  B.  N.  O.  Walker  has  heard  this  myth 
many  times  when  between  the  age  of  11  and  19.  He  states  that  his 
Aunt  Kitty,  who,  by  the  way,  was  a  Canadian  Wyandot  from  Ander- 
don,  Ontario,  had  learnt  those  stories  from  her  Aunt  Hunt,  who  spoke 
Wyandot  almost  exclusively.  "Aunt  Hunt  seems  to  have  been  the 
story-teller  of  the  family."  (Barbeau,  "Huron  and  Wyandot  Mythol- 
ogy," XXXIX,  6-17.) 


C.    AN  INTERVIEW  WITH  "ESQ."  JOHNSON  BY 
MRS.  ASHER  WRIGHT.1 

Esquire  Johnson  does  not  recollect  the  name  of  the  man 
who  first  gave  the  name  Nan-do-wah-gaah2  and  then  went 
to  where  they  lived  and  said  to  them,  "You  are  O-non-dah- 
ge-gaah,"3  and  then  he  went  to  another  place  and  said  to  the 
residents,  "You  are  Ga-nyah-ge-o-noh,"4  and  then  he  came 
to  where  he  called  them  0-ne-yut-gaah,r>  then  again  to  an- 
other place  and  said  "You  are  Que-yu-gwe-o-noh"  ;G  five 
nations,  for  the  Tuscaroras  were  then  at  the  South.  This 
was  long  before  the  confederacy  of  the  Iroquois,  and  the 
Tuscaroras  did  not  return  until  after  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  Mohawks  have  5  achems,7  The  Onondagas,  he 
thinks  have  4,  also  the  Oneidas  and  Cayugas  four  each,  the 
Senecas  have  4  also  and  two  war  chiefs,  the  other  tribes  had 
no  war  chiefs. 

Sha-dye-na-waho,8  Nis-ha-nye-yant,9  Gah-nya-gaeh,10 
Shah-de-gao-yes,11  Sho-guh-jis-wa,12  Ga-no-ga-ih-da-wit, 
De-yo-ne-ho-gaah-wah,13  were  Seneca  Sachems. 

The  Long  House  was  first  opened  at  Onondaga14;  the 
Senecas  also  had  a  long  house.15   When  anything  occurred 


1  Copied  verbatim  et  literatim  from  the  manuscript  notes  of  Mrs. 
Asher  Wright,  who  interviewed  Johnson  in  1870. 

2  The  Seneca. 

3  The  Onondaga. 

i  The  Mohawk. 

5  The  Oneida. 

6  The  Cayuga. 

7  Johnson's  estimate  is  wrong,  the  number  of  sachems  being  as 
follows:  the  Mohawks,  9;  the  Oneidas,  9;  the  Onondagas,  14;  the 
Cayugas,  10  ;  the  Senecas,  8  ;  making  the  Council  of  50.  Note  that 
while  he  says  that  the  Senecas  have  only  four  he  gives  the  names  of 
seven.  There  were  eight  and  he  names  all  but  Ga-ne-o-di-yo,  Hand- 
some Lake.  He  may  have  withheld  this  name  on  account  of  prejudice 
against  him,  for  Ga-ne-o-di-yo  at  this  time  was  in  disrepute  on  account 
of  his  assumption  of  the  role  of  prophet  of  "The  New  Religion." 

8  The  Helper. 

9  Falling  Day. 

10  Great  Forehead. 

ii  Level  Heavens. 

12  Hair  Burned  Off. 

13  Open  Door.  (This  sachemship  was  once  held  by  Gen.  Ely  S. 
Parker. ) 

14  The  Confederate  or  League  of  the  Five  Nations  Capitol  or 
Long  House. 

15  The  national  Long  House  of  the  Seneca. 

421 


422 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


to  render  a  council  necessary,  any  trusty  young  man  might 
be  sent  as  a  runner  to  the  other  tribes  to  call  them  together. 

When  they  came  together  the  evening  before  the  council 
they  sang  a  song  (In  Seneca  Wa-a-non-dah  ga-ya-soh,) 
and  in  the  morning  one  man  sang  a  different  song  as  they 
were  going  to  start,  i.e.  the  volunteers  to  revenge  the  mur- 
der or  whatever  the  injury  was. 

In  the  council  some  leading  chief  would  state  the  busi- 
ness and  ask,  what  shall  we  do?  A  few  of  the  chiefs  would 
tell  their  views  and  then  leading  men  of  influence  would 
say,  We  will  do  so  and  so,  and  the  multitude  would  acqui- 
esce and  the  council  would  break  up. 

In  case  of  making  peace  between  the  Senecas,  or  the  Iro- 
quois, and  the  Cherokees,  e.g.,  two  messengers  would  be  dis- 
patched by  the  party  desiring  peace.  They  would  be  called 
before  the  enemies'  council  and  introduced  by  the  chief 
and  then  would  deliver  their  message.  If  their  proposals 
for  peace  were  accepted  they  would  agree  to  bury  the  whole 
list  of  grievances  (bury  the  hatchet,  Dyo-an-jo-gut,)  so 
that  they  should  not  come  up  in  sight  again.  If  they  re- 
fused the  terms  they  would  send  the  ambassadors  back 
again  to  convey  their  refusal  to  the  people  and  the  war 
would  continue. 

The  Quapaw  war  was  long  before  the  Cherokee  war. 
This  last  was  the  last  Indian  war  carried  on  by  the  Six 
Nations  with  the  other  Indians.  Jak  Snow's  widow  was 
a  Cherokee  and  Gah-no-syoot  Hay-a-soo-oh  who  died  at 
Allegany,  but  Johnson  never  heard  that  Blue  Eyes  was  a 
Cherokee. 

The  office  of  the  Ga-yah-gwaah-doh  was  to  give  notice 
of  the  death  of  a  sachem  and  the  convocation  of  the  general 
council  to  mourn  for  the  dead  and  to  raise  up  some  one  in 
his  place,  and  at  such  convocations  all  the  subordinate  va- 
cancies would  be  filled  by  the  "raising"  of  chiefs  and  the 
elections  of  new  ones. 

In  the  election  of  new  chiefs  the  women  of  the  family 


INTERVIEW  WITH  ESQUIRE  JOHNSON  423 


in  which  the  vacancy  occurred  having  the  name  of  the  office 
in  her  keeping  could  confer  it  on  any  one  of  the  family  (al- 
ways on  the  female  side),  whom  she  should  regard  as  the 
most  reliable.  It  was  always  the  province  of  the  female 
head  of  the  household  to  settle  such  questions  although  she 
consulted  the  whole  household  as  to  their  judgment  of  the 
fitness  or  unfitness  of  any  candidate.  In  like  manner  she 
could  also  depose  (knock  the  horns  off),  for  any  derelic- 
tion of  duty.  After  the  election  etc.  the  act  would  be  con- 
firmed (Da-ye-a-wit  ha-di-yaas-gwah) ,  by  the  relations  and 
then  by  the  council.  These  rules  applied  to  all  ranks  even 
to  the  Ho-ya-neh-gowaak  of  the  Grand  Council. 

Johnson  says  that  72  years  ago16  last  spring,  he  with 
many  others,  was  invited  over  from  Canada  by  the  chiefs 
and  that  he  was  20  years  old  at  this  time  and  he  says  at 
that  time  the  Indians  had  an  idol  over  at  Cornplanter's  made 
of  wood  and  ornamented  with  feathers  around  which  they 
sung  and  danced  and  called  it  GOD.  He  had  seen  the  idol 
but  not  the  dancing  around  it.  He  says  that  Cornplanter's 
son  threw  it  into  the  river  (corroborating  the  story  I  have 
heard  before).  He  says  that  he  never  knew  of  any  other 
such  idol.  But  he  says  that  the  women  very  commonly 
made  little  images,  made  in  conformity  to  their  dreams. 
(They  consider  all  remarkable  dreams  as  revelations  from 
the  spirit  world.)  And  not  alone  the  dolls,  but  images  of 
any  other  object  they  might  be  impressed  by  in  a  dream, 
they  considered  them  to  be  their  gods,  considered  them  as 
their  protectors,  etc.  Some  of  them,  not  all  of  them,  used 
to  dance  before  them  as  objects  of  worship.  (He  does  not 
know  that  the  women  ever  received  from  the  Catholics  any 
images  of  the  Virgin,  but  he  has  often  seen  gold  or  silver 
crucifixes  among  them  used  simply  as  ornaments.) 

The  Indians  did  not  all  believe  that  their  New  Years  and 
other  feasts  were  ordained  of  God.  Johnson  says  that 
when  he  was  about  ten  years  old  he  saw  some  of  the  dis- 


16    This  was  probably  in  1798. 


424 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


gusting  things  connected  with  the  New  Years  and  he  asked 
his  grandfather  if  God  appointed  that  institution.  The  old 
man  said  No.  And  from  that  time  Johnson  did  not  believe 
in  them  and  hence  when  the  gospel  came  his  mind  was  open 
to  conviction  and  he  embraced  it.  He  says  they  had  the 
New  Years  from  time  immemorial,  but  the  dog  burning,  he 
thinks,  was  added  to  it  not  very  long  ago  in  consequence 
of  somebody's  dreams.  The  Big  Feather  and  Green  Corn 
dances  he  thinks  were  of  equal  antiquity  with  the  New 
Years.  He  thinks  all  other  observances  comparatively  mod- 
ern, dreamed  out  and  agreed  upon  and  then  proclaimed  to 
the  people  as  being  God's  ordinances. 

He  adds  to  the  smoke  of  the  tobacco  to  propitiate  the 
pigeons  when  they  took  their  young,  the  offering  of  pay- 
ment to  the  old  ones, — a  brass  kettle  or  other  little  dish  full 
of  ot-go-ah,17  brooches,  and  various  other  things  which  the 
man  who  raised  the  smoke  would  deposit  on  the  ground 
before  he  put  the  tobacco  on  the  fire,  and  he  says  that  they 
left  the  kettle  there  when  they  left  home,  considering  it  a 
real  payment  to  the  pigeons,  etc.  (The  prayers  are  the 
same  as  related  by  Oliver  Silverheels.) 

He  says  that  anciently  they  had  a  law  that  if  a  man 
died  his  widow  should  mourn  a  whole  year,  she  should 
clothe  herself  in  rags,  keep  her  head  covered  with  rags, 
never  wash  her  face  or  hands,  never  to  go  anywhere  except 
at  night  weeping  to  the  grave.  (The  same  rules  applied  in 
case  it  was  her  child  that  died.  It  was  the  general  law  of 
mourning.)  The  chiefs  at  last  forbade  these  customs,  as  be- 
ing too  hard,  often  resulting  in  the  death  of  the  mourners 
before  the  year  was  up,  and  they  appointed  that  the  mourn- 
ing should  last  only  ten  days,  at  the  end  of  which  they 
should  hold  the  funeral  feast  (Ho-non-di-aak-hoh-ga-ya- 
soh),  and  during  these  ten  days  they  should  abstain  from 
all  ordinary  business ;  a  chief,  e.g.  could  not  meet  in  council 
or  attend  any  public  business  till  the  ten  days  were  over. 


17  Wampum. 


INTERVIEW  WITH  ESQUIRE  JOHNSON 


425 


At  the  funeral  feast  the  chief  or  other  person  would  pro- 
claim the  removal  of  the  disabilities. 

Johnson  says  that  a  long  time  ago  squashes  were  found 
growing  wild.  He  says  that  he  has  seen  them  and  that  they 
were  quite  unpalatable,  but  the  Indians  used  to  boil  and 
eat  them.  He  says  that  in  their  ancient  wars  with  the 
Southern  Indians  they  brought  back  squashes  that  were 
sweet  and  palatable  and  beans  which  grow  wild  in  the 
South,  calico  colored,  and  which  were  very  good,  and  he 
thinks  the  white  folks  have  never  used  them.  Also  the 
o-yah-gwa-oweh  they  brought  from  the  south  where  it 
grows  wild,  also  the  various  kinds  of  corn,  black,  red  and 
squaw  corn  they  brought  from  the  prairie  country  south 
where  they  found  it  growing  wild.  All  these  things  they 
found  on  their  war  expeditions  and  brought  them  here  and 
planted  them  and  thus  they  abound  here,  but  he  does  not 
know  where  they  first  found  the  potato. 

STONE  GIANTS. 

He  says  the  old  people  used  to  tell  the  story  that  after 
God  had  made  the  world  and  man  and  animals  he  was  one 
day  walking  around  and  he  saw  a  strange  people  coming 
towards  him,  clothed  with  stone  and  he  asked  them  who 
they  were  and  who  created  them.  They  replied  that  they 
were  free  and  independent  and  that  they  had  no  creator, 
that  they  were  their  own  masters.  He  then  said,  "Where 
are  you  going?"  They  said,  "We  are  going  to  find  men  that 
we  may  devour  them."  He  said,  "You  must  not  go.  Very 
likely  if  you  do  they  will  kill  you."  But  the  more  he  forbid 
them  the  more  they  were  determined  to  go.  So  he  went 
away  and  blackened  his  face  with  coal  and  took  him  a  bass- 
wood  club  three  or  four  inches  through  and  came  around 
in  front  of  them  and  fell  upon  them  and  killed  all  but  two 
who  fled  and  he  came  around  again  and  having  washed  off 
the  black  met  them  in  the  place  where  he  first  saw  them,  and 
said,  "What  is  the  matter  with  you  that  you  flee  so  ?"  They 


426 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


answered,  "They  have  been  killing  us,  and  we  only  are  left." 
He  said,  "That  is  what  I  told  you,"  though  he  had  done  it 
himself.  He  said  then,  "You  must  go  away  and  leave  man- 
kind alone.  You  must  keep  away  from  and  never  come 
nigh  them  again." 

THE  THUNDER  GOD. 

He  also  at  another  time  saw  the  Hih-noh  coming 
towards  him  and  did  not  know  him  for  he  had  not  created 
him  and  he  said  to  him,  Who  are  you?  Who  created  you? 
And  whom  do  you  own  as  your  lord?  He  answered  no 
one.  Then  he  said  What  do  you  think  of  men?  He  replied 
Oh  they  are  my  grandchildren  and  if  you  wish  me  to  do 
anything  I  can  do  it,  (or  I  am  ready  to  do  it.)  GOD  said 
to  him,  What  can  you  do.  Oh  he  said  I  can  wash  the 
earth,  &c.  And  so  the  Indians,  when  it  thunders  think  that 
Hih-noh  is  washing  the  earth  again  and  they  call  him 
Grandfather  because  he  told  GOD  that  they  were  his 
grandchildren. 

ANOTHER  STORY,  OR  FABLE,  THE  THUNDERER. 

In  ancient  times  there  was  a  war  party  got  up  to  go 
against  the  southwestern  Indians.  There  were  four  or 
five  men  and  there  was  a  poor  friendless  boy,  an  orphan, 
and  he  came  to  one  of  these  men  and  found  him  painted 
and  ready  for  the  expedition.  He  painted  himself,  and 
the  man  befriended  him  and  sent  him  to  where  there  was 
a  company  of  men,  who  seeing  him  painted  enquired  the 
object  and  said  to  him,  that  man  is  your  friend?  He  said 
yes  and  they  said  we  will  go  with  you.  There  were  five  in 
the  party  besides  this  boy  whose  name  was  Shot-do-gas,  in 
allusion  to  his  filthy  miserable  condition.  They  came 
together  near  Smoke's  Creek  (near  Buffalo)  and  there  they 
made  a  bark  canoe  and  then  started  up  the  lake.  They 
came  after  several  nights  to  Ga-yah-hah-geh  (Clear  Land), 
and  there  while  the  moon  was  yet  high  and  it  was  quite 


INTERVIEW  WITH  ESQUIRE  JOHNSON  427 


light,  they  became  sleepy,  and  the  leader  said  Let  us  stop 
here.  So  they  ran  in  among  the  cattail  flags  and  tied  a  lot 
of  them  together  on  each  side  of  the  canoe  and  fastened  it 
to  them,  so  as  to  have  it  lie  still.  ( Noe-oh-gwah  ga-ya-soh, 
cattail  flag.)  So  they  slept  in  the  canoe.  After  a  little 
while  the  leader  awoke  and  thought  he  saw  evidence  that 
they  were  in  motion,  and  putting  his  hand  over  the  side  of 
the  canoe,  felt  the  rush  of  water,  and  aroused  his  compan- 
ions, saying  Wake  up !  The  canoe  is  running  swiftly.  An- 
other put  his  hand  on  the  other  side  of  the  canoe,  and  said 
Yes  we  are  going  rapidly !  They  could  not  tell  the  cause 
of  the  motion,  but  the  canoe  kept  on.  They  lay  in  it  mostly 
asleep  and  when  they  awaked  they  found  themselves  at 
Green  Bay,  and  the  canoe  kept  on,  and  they  finally  landed 
at  Chicago,  at  daylight,  having  come  from  Cleveland  in  one 
night.  They  took  the  canoe  into  the  bushes  and  hid  it  and 
got  ready  their  breakfast  and  ate  it  and  about  noon  they 
found  a  trail  leading  off  into  the  country  and  they  started 
on  that  trail  and  they  went  till  night  and  camped  and  started 
again  the  next  morning,  and  till  perhaps  5  p.  m.,  they  saw 
a  man  coming.  They  stopped  beside  the  trail  till  he  came 
up.  He  said  the  chief  sent  me  on  this  trail  saying  you  will 
meet  men  coming.  Tell  them  to  come  on  with  you.  They 
went  on  a  great  way  for  he  had  run  very  fast  and  at  length 
they  came  to  a  house.  Beside  the  door  there  was  some- 
thing tied  and  concealed,  and  he  said  to  them  you  must  not 
look  upon  this.  Something  will  happen  to  whosoever  looks 
upon  it.  (It  was  a  She-wah,  a  sable.)  They  went  into 
the  house,  no  one  of  them  having  looked  upon  the  forbidden 
object.  They  found  the  house  full  of  people  who  made 
room  for  them,  and  all  men,  women  and  children  saluted 
them  kindly.  The  chief  said  to  his  family  We  are  in  a  hard 
case  we  have  nothing  for  these  guests  to  eat.  They  can 
not  eat  our  food.  You  must  provide  for  them  of  such  kind 
of  food  as  they  can  eat.  Four  of  them  then  went  out  and 
presently  it  began  to  thunder.    Then  these  men  began  to 


428 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


realize  their  situation.  They  had  come  into  Hih-noh's 
house.  The  whole  household  were  his  family,  although  in 
form  and  speech  they  seemed  to  he  human  beings.  These 
four  soon  returned  bringing  with  them  green  corn,  beans, 
squashes,  etc.,  for  their  guests.  The  women  cooked  these 
things  for  them  and  they  ate.  They  soon  discovered  that 
the  Hih-noh  family  lived  upon  serpents, — that  whenever 
they  discovered  a  snake  they  shot  down  a  bolt  upon  him, 
and  carried  him  home  for  food,  and  that  it  was  this  that 
made  the  old  man  say  We  are  in  a  hard  case  because  our 
guests  cannot  eat  our  food.  They  remained  there  a  long 
time  living  together.  At  length  the  old  man  said  to  them, 
Pretty  soon  you  will  see  something  coming  in  the  air  from 
the  North.  We  have  tried  to  kill  it  but  we  cannot  do  it. 
You  can  do  it  for  us.  They  then  all  went  out  and  soon 
there  was  a  wind  from  the  North  and  they  saw  something 
flying  towards  them.  It  seemed  to  be  a  man  entirely  naked 
of  a  yellow  color,  without  wings  or  any  means  of  flying, 
and  yet  it  flew  swiftly  towards  them.  Shot-da-gas  said, 
"Shoot  it  with  an  arrow,"  and  he  shot,  and  he  shot  and  the 
arrow  fell  below  and  he  shot  again  but  over-shot  it.  By  the 
time  his  third  arrow  was  ready  it  had  come  directly  over- 
head, and  he  shot  and  pierced  him  through  the  body,  so  that 
he  fell  but  a  little  way  off.  The  Hih-noh  family  were 
greatly  rejoiced  and  poured  forth  many  thanks  upon  him 
for  his  exploit. 

Afterwards  Hih-noh  said,  Yonder  is  another  thing 
which  we  cannot  kill,  and  he  led  them  a  long  way  till  they 
came  to  a  monstrous  big  whitewood  tree,  and  from  a  large 
limb  projecting  from  near  the  top  there  was  a  creature 
sitting  and  Hih-noh  said  Shoot  that,  and  Shot-de-gas  drew 
his  bow  and  shot  it  through  the  body.  It  crawled  along  the 
limb  and  finally  fell,  (bum!)  and  was  stone  dead.  It  proved 
to  be  a  monstrous  porcupine  with  quills  as  large  as  one's 
finger,  which  the  Hih-noh  family  had  tried  in  vain  to  kill. 

They  staid  a  long  time,  when  at  last  Hih-noh  said,  they 


INTERVIEW  WITH  ESQUIRE  JOHNSON  429 


are  about  to  take  you  home,  but  let  Shot-do-gas  remain  with 
us,  we  will  take  care  of  him.  Shot-do-gas  was  willing  and 
his  friend  gave  his  consent.  They  went  out  and  saw  a 
very  big  Mortar,  (ga-ne-gah-tah,)  and  Hih-noh  called  them 
to  it.  Shot-do-gas  climbed  into  it  and  there  he  was  killed, 
but  Hih-noh  restored  him  to  life  and  he  also  became  a 
hih-noh.  Then  the  five  men  were  about  to  start,  and  all  at 
once  there  commenced  a  terrible  thunder  storm  and  Hih- 
noh  said  now  take  them  home,  and  suddenly  they  were  taken 
up  on  the  backs  of  as  many  men  and  carried  along  with 
the  storm  and  down  at  Smoke's  Creek  where  they  started. 
They  then  washed  off  their  paint  and  started  to  go  home, 
but  they  found  the  trail  grown  up  with  bushes ;  they  kept 
on  to  where  there  was  a  bark  shanty,  it  had  been  rebuilt, — 
to  the  council  house,  it  was  gone,  every  (thing)  was  changed 
they  kept  on  and  at  last  met  a  man  whom  they  did  not  know, 
he  asked  them  where  and  whither  they  were  going,  they 
replied  we  went  from  here  and  have  come  home,  he  said 
wait  and  I  will  go  and  tell  the  people.  He  found  the  chief 
and  told  him  here  are  men  whom  I  never  saw  before,  say- 
ing that  they  have  come  home.  The  chief  gave  the  call 
implying  important  business, — the  people  rushed  together 
into  the  council  house,  the  man  told  what  he  had  seen,  the 
chief  said  to  him  go  call  these  men,  they  came,  no  one  knew 
them  and  they  knew  no  one.  The  chief  asked  the  leader  of 
the  party  for  his  name,  we  may  perhaps  remember  that,  he 
would  not  tell  his  own  name  but  the  rest  of  the  party  told 
it  and  each  others  names,  but  nobody  recollected  them.  Then 
said  the  chief  there  is  a  very  old  woman  living  yonder,  go 
call  her,  if  so  be  she  can  recollect  them.  She  came  and  they 
told  her  their  names  and  that  one  of  the  party  named 
Shot-do-gas  had  remained  behind.  She  recollected  the  leav- 
ing of  the  party  a  long,  long  time  ago,  and  recalled  their 
names,  and  said  that  when  they  went  away,  there  was  a  poor 
miserable  little  boy,  on  that  account  called  Shot-do-gas, 
who  left  with  them.    It  proved  that  one  of  these  men  was 


430 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


elder  brother  of  this  old  woman,  and  he  returned  in  all  the 
freshness  of  youth,  as  when  he  left,  while  his  younger  sis- 
ter had  become  a  superannuated  old  vvomlan.  All  the  rest 
of  the  people  had  grown  up  since  they  left  and  therefore 
did  not  know  them.  She,  the  sole  survivor  of  her  genera- 
tion, was  the  only  one  to  recognize  them  and  remove  the 
unbelief  of  those  that  did  not  believe  that  they  had  ever 
gone  from  this  region  of  country. 


D.    EMBLEMATIC  TREES  IN  IROQUOIAN 
MYTHOLOGY.1 


By  Arthur  C.  Parker. 

A  student  of  Iroquoian  folklore,  ceremony  or  history 
will  note  the  many  striking  instances  in  which  sacred  or 
symbolic  trees  are  mentioned.  One  finds  allusions  to  such 
trees  not  only  in  the  myths  and  traditions  which  have  long 
been  known  to  literature  and  in  the  speeches  of  Iroquois 
chiefs  when  met  in  council  with  the  French  and  English 
colonists,  but  also  in  the  more  recently  discovered  wampum 
codes  and  in  the  rituals  of  the  folk-cults. 

There  are  many  references  to  the  "tree  of  peace"  in 
the  colonial  documents  on  Indian  relations.  Colden  in  his 
Five  Nations,  for  example,  quotes  the  reply  of  the  Mohawk 
chief  to  Lord  Effingham  in  July,  1684.  The  Mohawk  agree 
to  the  peace  propositions  and  their  spokesman  says :  "We 
now  plant  a  Tree  who's  tops  will  reach  the  Sun,  and  its 
Branches  spread  far  abroad,  so  that  it  shall  be  seen  afar 
off ;  &  we  shall  shelter  ourselves  under  it,  and  live  in  Peace, 
without  molestation."    (Gives  two  Beavers).2 

In  a  footnote  Colden  says  that  the  Five  Nations  always 
express  peace  under  the  metaphor  of  a  tree.  Indeed  in  the 
speech,  a  part  of  which  is  quoted  above,  the  Peace  tree  is 
mentioned  several  times. 

In  Garangula's  reply  to  De  la  Barre,  as  recorded  by 
Lahontan  are  other  references  to  the  "tree."  In  his 
"harangue"  Garangula  said : 

"We  fell  upon  the  Ulinese  and  the  Oumamis,  because 
they  cut  down  the  Trees  of  Peace — ."  "The  Tsonontouans, 
Gayogouans,  Onnotagues,  Onnoyoutes,  and  Agnies  declare 
that  they  interred  the  Axe  at  Cataracuoy,  in  the  Presence 

1  First  published  in  American  Anthropologist,  Oct. -Dec,  1912. 

2  Colden,  History  of  the  Five  Nations,  reprint,  p.  58,  New  York, 
1866. 

431 


432 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


of  your  Predecessor,  in  the  very  Center  of  the  Fort ;  and 
planted  the  Tree  of  Peace  in  the  same  place ;  'twas  then  stip- 
ulated that  the  Fort  should  be  us'd  as  a  Place  of  Retreat  for 
Merchants,  and  not  as  a  Refuge  for  Soldiers  .  .  .  You 


Fig.  1. — The  pictograph  of  the  sky-dome  in  the  Walam  Olum.  o  is 
interpreted  "At  all  times  above  the  earth."  b,  "He  made  them  [sun 
and  moon]  all  to  move  evenly." 

ought  to  take  Care  that  so  great  a  number  of  Militial  Men 
as  we  now  see  ...  do  not  stifle  and  choak  the  Tree  of 
Peace.  ...  it  must  needs  be  of  pernicious  Consequences 
to  stop  its  Growth  and  hinder  it  to  shade  both  your  Country 
and  ours  with  its  Leaves."3 

The  above  examples  are  only  a  few  of  many  that  might 
be  quoted  to  show  how  commonly  the  Iroquois  mentioned 
the  peace  tree.  There  are  also  references  to  the  tree  which 
was  uprooted  "to  afford  a  cavity  in  which  to  bury  all  weap- 
ons of  war,"  the  tree  being  replanted  as  a  memorial. 

In  the  Iroquoian  myth,  whether  Cherokee,  Huron, 
Wyandot,  Seneca  or  Mohawk,  the  "tree  of  the  upper- 
world"  is  mentioned,  though  the  character  of  the  tree  differs 
according  to  the  tribe  and  sometimes  according  to  the  myth- 
teller. 

Before  the  formation  of  the  lower  or  earth-world  the 
Wyandot  tell  of  the  upper  or  sky-world  and  of  the  "Big 
Chief"  whose  daughter  became  strangely  ill.4  The  chief 
instructs  his  daughter  to  "dig  up  the  wild  apple  tree ;  what 
will  cure  her  she  can  pluck  from  among  its  roots."  David 

s    Lahontan,  Voyages,  Vol  I,  p  42.    London,  1735. 

4    Connelly,  W.  E.,  Wyandot  Folk  Lore,  Topeka,  1899. 


EMBLEMATICAL  TREES 


433 


Boyle5  wondered  why  the  apple  tree  was  called  "wild," 
but  that  the  narrator  meant  wild-apple  and  not  wild  apple 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  Seneca  in  some  versions 
called  the  tree  the  crab-apple.  The  native  apple  tree  with 
its  small  fruit  was  intended  by  the  Indian  myth  teller  who 
knew  also  of  the  cultivated  apple  and  took  the  simplest 
way  to  differentiate  the  two. 

With  the  Seneca  this  tree  is  described  more  fully.  In 
manuscript  left  by  Mrs.  Asher  Wright,  the  aged  mission- 
ary to  the  Seneca,  I  find  the  cosmologic  myth  as  related  to 
her  by  Esquire  Johnson,  a  Seneca,  in  1870.  Mrs.  Wright 
and  her  husband  understood  the  Seneca  language  perfectly 
and  published  a  mission  magazine  as  early  as  1838  in  that 
tongue.  Her  translation  of  Johnson's  myth  should  there- 
fore be  considered  authentic.  She  wrote :  " — there  was  a 
vast  expanse  of  water — .  Above  it  was  the  great  blue  arch 
of  air  but  no  signs  of  anything  solid — .  In  the  clear  sky 
was  an  unseen  floating  island  sufficiently  firm  to  allow 
trees  to  grow  upon  it,  and  there  were  men-beings  there. 
There  was  one  great  chief  there  who  gave  the  law  to  all 
the  Ongweh  or  beings  on  the  island.  In  the  center  of  the 
island  there  grew  a  tree  so  tall  that  no  one  of  the  beings 
who  lived  there  could  see  its  top.  On  its  branches  flowers 
and  fruit  hung  all  the  year  round.  The  beings  who  lived 
on  the  island  used  to  come  to  the  tree  and  eat  the  fruit  and 
smell  the  sweet  perfume  of  the  flowers.  On  one  occasion 
the  chief  desired  that  the  tree  be  pulled  up.  The  Great 
Chief  was  called  to  look  at  the  great  pit  which  was  to  be 
seen  where  the  tree  had  stood."  The  story  continues  with 
the  usual  description  of  how  the  sky-mother  was  pushed 
into  the  hole  in  the  sky  and  fell  upon  the  wings  of  the 
waterfowl  who  placed  her  on  the  turtle's  back.  After  this 
mention  of  the  celestial  tree  in  the  same  manuscript  is  the 
story  of  the  central  world-tree.    After  the  birth  of  the 


5  Archaeological  Report  of  Ontario,  1905.  Boyle,  David;  The  Iro- 
quois, p.  147. 


434 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


twins,  Light  One  and  Toad-like  (or  dark)  one,  the  Light 
One,  also  known  as  Good  Minded,  noticing  that  there  was 
no  light,  created  the  "tree  of  light."  This  was  a  great  tree 
having  at  its  topmost  branch  a  great  ball  of  light.  At  this 
time  the  sun  had  not  been  created.  It  is  significant  as  will 
appear  later  that  the  Good  Minded  made  his  tree  of  light 
one  that  brought  forth  flowers  from  every  branch.  After 
he  had  gone  on  experimenting  and  improving  the  earth 
"he  made  a  new  light  and  hung  it  on  the  neck  of  a  being 
and  he  called  the  new  light  Gaa-gwaa(  ga"gwa)  and  in- 
structed its  bearer  to  run  his  course  daily  in  the  heavens." 
Shortly  after  he  is  said  to  have  "dug  up  the  tree  of  light 
and  looking  into  the  pool  of  water  in  which  the  stump 
(trunk)  had  grown  he  saw  the  reflection  of  his  own  face 
and  thereupon  conceived  the  idea  of  creating  Ongwe  and 
made  them  both  a  man  and  a  woman." 

The  central  world-tree  is  found  also  in  Delaware  myth- 
ology, though  as  far  as  I  discover  it  is  not  called  the  tree 
of  light.  The  Journal6  of  Dankers  and  Slyter  records  the 
story  of  creation  as  heard  from  the  Lenape  of  New  Jersey 
in  1679.  All  things  came  from  a  tortoise,  the  Indians  told 
them.  "It  had  brought  forth  the  world  and  in  the  middle 
of  its  back  had  sprung  a  tree  upon  whose  branches  men 
had  grown."7  This  relation  between  men  and  the  tree  is 
interesting  in  comparison  with  the  Iroquois  myth  as  it  is 
also  as  the  central  world-tree.  Both  Lenape  and  the  Iro- 
quois ideas  are  symbolic  and  those  who  delight  in  flights 
of  imagination  might  draw  much  from  both. 

The  Seneca  world-tree  is  described  elsewhere  in  my 
notes  as  a  tree  whose  branches  pierce  the  sky  and  whose 
roots  run  down  into  the  under-ground  waters  of  the  under- 
world.   This  tree  is  mentioned  in  various  ceremonial  rites 

fi  Journal  of  a  Voyage  to  New  York  in  1679-80,  bv  Jasper  Dankers 
and  Peter  Slyter.    Translated  in  Vol  I.  Trans.  L.  I.  Hist.  Soc.  1867. 

"  With  the  New  England  Indians  the  idea  was  held  that  men  were 
found  by  Glooskape  in  a  hole  made  by  an  arrow  which  he  had  shot 
into  an  ash  tree. 


EMBLEMATICAL  TREES 


435 


of  the  Iroquois.  With  the  False  Face  Company,  Hadi- 
gon"sashon"on,  for  example,  the  Great  Face,  chief  of  all 
the  False  Faces,  is  said  to  be  the  invisible  giant  that  guards 
the  world-tree  (gaindowo'ne').    He  rubs  his  turtle  shell 


Fig.  2. — A  false  face  leader  rubbing  his  rattle  on  a  stump.  Drawn 
from  a  photograph. 

rattle  upon  it  to  obtain  its  power  and  this  he  imparts  to  all 
the  visible  false  faces  worn  by  the  Company.  In  visible 
token  of  this  belief  the  members  of  the  Company  rub  their 
turtle  rattles  on  pine  tree  trunks,  believing  that  they  become 
filled  with  both  the  earth  and  the  sky-power  thereby.  In 


436 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


this  use  of  the  turtle  shell  rattle  there  is  perhaps  a  recogni- 
tion of  the  connection  between  the  turtle  and  the  world-tree 
that  grows  upon  the  primal  turtle's  back. 

In  the  prologue  of  the  Wampum  Code  of  the  Five  Na- 
tions Confederacy  we  again  find  references  to  a  symbolic 
*'great  tree."  In  the  code  of  Dekanawi'da  and  with  the 
Five  Nations'  confederate  lords  (rodiya'ner)  "I  plant  the 
Tree  of  the  Great  Peace.  I  plant  it  in  your  territory, 
Adodar'ho'  and  the  Onondaga  nation,  in  the  territory  of 
you  who  are  Firekeepers. 

"I  name  the  tree  the  Tree  of  the  Great  Long  Leaves. 
Under  the  shade  of  this  Tree  of  Peace  we  spread  the  soft 
feathery  down  of  the  globe  thistle,  there  beneath  the  spread- 
ing branches  of  the  Tree  of  Peace." 

In  the  second  "law"  of  the  code  the  four  roots  of  the 
"tree"  are  described  and  the  law-giver  says,  "If  any  indi- 
vidual or  any  nation  outside  the  Five  Nations  shall  obey  the 
laws'  of  the  Great  Peace  and  make  known  their  disposition 
to  the  Lords  of  the  Confederacy,  they  may  trace  the  Roots 
to  the  Tree  and  if  their  minds  are  clean  and  obedient — 
they  shall  be  welcome  to  take  shelter  beneath  the  Tree  of 
the  Long  Leaves. 

"We  place  in  the  top  of  the  Tree  of  the  Long  Leaves 
an  Eagle  who  is  able  to  see  afar ; — he  will  warn  the  people." 

In  another  place  is  the  following:  "I  Dekanawi'da,  and 
the  union  lords  now  uproot  the  tallest  pine  tree  and  into  the 
cavity  thereby  made  we  cast  all  weapons  of  war.  Into  the 
depths  of  the  earth,  down  into  the  deep  under-earth  cur- 
rents of  water  flowing  to  unknown  regions  we  cast  all  the 
weapons  of  strife.  .We  bury  them  from  sight  and  we  plant 
again  the  tree.  Thus  shall  the  Great  Peace,  Kaye"narhe'- 
kowa,  be  established." 

These  laws  and  figures  of  speech  are  very  evidently 
those  which  the  Iroquois  speakers  had  in  mind  when  ad- 
dressing "peace  councils"  with  the  whites. 

Symbolic  trees  appear  not  only  in  Iroquois  history, 


EMBLEMATICAL  TREES 


437 


mythology  and  folk  beliefs  but  also  in  their  decorative  art. 
The  numerous  decorative  forms  of  trees  embroidered  in 
moose  hair  and  porcupine  quills  by  the  eastern  Algonquins 
and  by  the  Huron  and  the  Iroquois  appear  to  be  attempts  to 


Fig.  3. — Portion  of  legging  strip.  The  inward  curving  design  at  the 
top  sometimes  symbolizes  sleep  or  death.  (Specimens  collected  for 
the  New  York  State  Museum  by  M.  R.  Harrington. ) 

represent  the  world-tree  and  the  celestial  tree,  in  some 
cases  with  its  "all  manner  of  fruits  and  flowers."  Many,  if 
not  most,  of  the  modern  descendants  of  the  old  time  Indian, 
who  copy  these  old  designs  have  forgotten  their  meanings 
and  some  have  even  invented  new  explanations.  A  few  of 
the  more  conservative,  however,  remember  even  yet  the 
true  meaning  of  their  designs  and  from  such  much  of  inter- 
est has  been  learned. 


438 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


In  examining  examples  of  Iroquois  decorative  art  one 
is  immediately  impressed  with  the  repeated  use  of  a  pattern 
consisting  of  a  semi-circle  resting  upon  two  parallel  hori- 
zontal lines  having  at  the  top  two  divergent  curved  lines 
each  springing  from  the  same  point  and  curving  outward, 
like  the  end  of  a  split  dandelion  stalk,  (See  fig.  4b.)  This 
design  or  symbol,  with  the  Iroquois  represents  the  celestial 
tree  growing  from  the  top  of  the  sky,  or  more  properly, 
from  the  bottom  of  the  "above-sky-world"  (ga'ohya'ge"). 
The  two  parallel  lines  represent  the  earth.  This  symbol  is 
found  with  the  same  meaning  among  the  Delaware.  In  the 
Walum  Olum8  parallel  semi-circles  represent  the  sky-dome, 
though  single  semi-circles  appear.  Two  parallel  horizontal 
lines,  likewise,  represent  the  earth.    (See  fig.  1,  a.) 

With  the  Iroquois  the  sky-dome  and  earth  symbols  are 
employed  as  pattern  designs  for  decorating  clothing.  Near- 


Fig.  4. — Various  forms  of  the  sky-dome  symbol  as  employed  In 
Iroquois  moose-hair  and  quill  embroidery. 


ly  always  these  symbols  are  associated  with  the  celestial- 
tree  symbol,  though  sometimes  this  is  employed  alone. 
These  patterns  appear  embroidered  in  moose  hair,  porcu- 
pine quills  and  beads  as  borders  for  leggins,  skirts,  breech- 
clouts  and  moccasins.  (See  fig.  5.)  Occasionally  the  pattern 

8    Brinton :  Lenape  and  their  Legends,  p.  170.    Phila.,  1885. 


EMBLEMATICAL  TREES 


439 


is  found  on  head-bands  and  hair  ornaments.  In  some 
cases,  especially  in  examples  of  silver  work  and  beaded  arti- 
cles it  seems  evident  that  the  decoartor  has  not  the  meaning 
of  his  pattern  in  mind.  This  is  true  of  some  of  the  more 
modern  attempts  to  use  it. 

These  outward  curving  designs,  beside  being  symbols 
of  the  celestial  tree  have  a  secondary  meaning,  that  of  life, 
living  and  light.  Curving  inward  upon  themselves  they 
sometimes  represent  sleep  and  death.  Fig.  3  shows  this 
design  on  a  leggin  strip.  In  fig.  4  h  we  have  it  used  in 
conjunction  with  a  sleeping  sun.  The  Onondaga  call  the 
double  curve  design  oen"sha',  tendril. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  note  that  the  "horns" 
wampum  when  placed  upon  a  dead  civil  chief's  body  is 
curved  inward,  the  two  ends  touching  and  forming  the 
outline  of  a  circle  or  heart.  When  the  condoling  ceremon- 
ial chief  finishes  his  address  and  is  about  to  lift  the  strands 
of  wampum  from  the  corpse  to  hand  it  to  the  successor  he 
turns  the  wampum-string  so  that  the  ends  point  outward 
and  away  from  each  other.  These  particular  symbols  while 
being  those  of  death  and  life  respectively  are  regarded  as 
horn  and  not  tree  symbols.  The  wampum  so  employed 
"the  horns,"  ona'gasho"a,  and  alludes  to  the  symbolic  title 
of  the  civil  chief  (roya'ner). 

The  celestial-tree  symbol  appears  also  as  a  trefoil.  The 
third  tendril  or  branch  unfolds  from  the  center  of  the  tree. 
(See  fig.  4  c.)  A  fourth  branch  is  often  used  and  then 
appears  as  a  double  tree.  (See  fig.  4  d.)  In  4,  e  the  night- 
sun  is  represented  over  the  world-tree  and  in  meaning  this 
sign  is  found  to  be  the  same  as  4,  h.  In  fig.  4,  f  the  day-sun 
is  represented  as  shining  at  zenith  above  the  world-tree.  In 
4,  g  the  sun-above-the-sky  is  awake  and  roosting  in  the 
celestial-tree.  All  of  these  designs  are  found  on  borders 
of  Iroquois  garments  some  of  which  are  shown  in  plate  1. 

Another  important  modification  of  the  sky-dome  and 
celestial-tree  combination  is  that  which  represents  the  sky- 


440 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


dome  with  the  celestial-tree  upon  it  and  the  earth-tree 
within  the  dome  below  and  resting  upon  a  long  intersection 
of  an  oval  (possibly  the  turtle)  and  sending  its  long  leaves 
or  branches  upward  to  the  sky-arch. 

Sometimes  the  design  is  used  as  the  motif  of  a  rosette 
or  other  balanced  design.  Morgan  figured  several  and  the 
Report  of  the  Director  of  the  State  Museum  of  New 
York  for  1907  shows  a  picture  of  Red  Jacket's  pipe  pouch 
ornamented  with  such  a  pattern.  There  the  ends  of  the 
tendrils  are  split  and  represented  as  conventional  flowers. 
In  other  instances  the  motif  is  built  upward  upon  itself  as 
shown  in  figure  6.  The  first  "tree"  in  this  figure  is  copied 
from  Lafitau9  and  the  others  from  Mohawk  moccasin  toes. 

With  the  Iroquois  the  celestial-tree  symbol  is  generally 
represented  by  this  anies-like  figure.  The  earth-tree,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  less  highly  conventionalized.  With  the  Iro- 
quois as  with  many  other  tribes  in  the  forest  area  in  North 
America,  the  Ojibwa  for  example,  the  ordinary  tree  sign 
is  commonly  used, — that  depicting  the  upward  slanting 
branches  of  the  balsam  fir.  Figure  7  shows  the  Ojibwa 
pictograph  which  is  interpreted  as  "the  big  tree  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  earth."  The  terminal  buds  on  the  conventional- 
ized trees  of  the  Huron  moose  hair  embroidery  type  resem- 
ble in  form  this  balsam  fir  symbol.  The  Huron  indeed  call 
the  bud  "balsam  fir."10  The  method  of  slanting  the  hair 
to  form  the  design  creates  the  resemblance  and  causes  the 
confusion,  in  all  probability.  Used  alone  the  "bud"  would 
be  a  tree  if  placed  in  proper  position  but  as  ordinarily  used 
by  the  Huron  at  the  extremity  of  an  embroidered  branch, 
it  seems  paradoxical  to  find  a  tree  on  the  small  end  of  one 
of  its  branches.    This  is  discussed  mtore  fully  hereinafter. 

Figure  4,  e,  and  f  show  the  Iroquois  "middle-of-the- 

n  Lafitau,  Moeurs  des  Savvages  Ameriquains,  Tome  II,  plate  3, 
page  43,  Paris,  1724. 

io  See  Speck,  P.  G.,  Huron  Moosa  Hair  Embroidery,  Amer.  An- 
thropologist, N.  S.,  Vol.  13,  no.  1,  p  1. 


EMBLEMATICAL  TREES 


441 


world-tree"  as  used  in  conjunction  with  the  sky-dome  and 
sun  symbols. 

Another,  and  more  elaborate,  form  of  the  "tree"  as  it 
appears  in  Iroquoian  decorative  art  is  a  flowering  plant  or 


ffijQ  ®@  @W@  €518)  0^0 


 »B               „!!?                  S?                 !«,«   .  ,  Hi! 

b 

A 

V 

^  ^^^^ 

d 

Fig.  5. — Borders  embroidered  in  moose-hair  on  deerskin  garments. 
(Seneca  specimens  in  the  New  York  State  Museum.)  a  is  the  "two 
curve"  pattern  common  in  Iroquoian  decoration,  b  represents  a  series 
of  "sky-domes"  resting  upon  the  earth,  the  two  parallel  horizontal 
lines,  c  represents  a  series  of  the  "trees"  of  Iroquois  symbolism.  The 
unit  of  the  design  is  indicated  by  m-n.  d  shows  a  series  of  suns  and 
celestial  trees  resting  on  the  sky-dome. 

tree  having  conventionalized  leaves  (generally,  "long 
leaves"),  branches,  buds,  tendrils  and  flowers.  See  plate 
2.  In  this  plate  (9)  is  shown  the  flowering  tree  as  embroid- 
ered in  porcupine  quills  on  an  Iroquois  pouch  collected  by 
Lewis  H.  Morgan,  and  now  in  the  New  York  State  Mus- 
eum. It  will  be  perceived  that  here  the  diverging  curved 
lines  play  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  make-up  of  the  tree. 


4-2 


SEXECA  MYTHS  AXD  LEGEXDS 


Like  all  Iroquois  symbolic  trees  of  the  purely  conventional 
type  the  tree  is  exactly  balanced  on  each  side  of  the  central 
line  that  represents  the  trunk  or  stalk. 

With  the  Huron  these  trees  are,  likewise,  used  as  an 
adornment  for  bags  and  other  things  where  a  comparatively 
large  surface  is  afforded.  Dr.  Speck  illustrates  one  of  these 
trees  in  the  article  on  moose  hair  embroider}-  previously 
cited,  and  gives  the  Huron  interpretation  for  the  various 
parts  of  the  tree.  W  ith  the  Huron,  it  is  most  interesting  to 
note,  the  topmost  flower  is  called  not  a  flower  but  a  star, 
thus  suggesting  some  dim  recollection  of  the  "tree  of  light." 

The  Confederated  Iroquois  made  similar  trees,  though 
they  interpret  some  of  the  parts  differently.  With  them 
the  significance  of  the  tree  is  recognized.  Mr.  Hewitt  de- 
scribes the  tree  in  his  Onondaga  creation  myth.11  His  in- 
formants in  relating  the  myth  said :  "And  there  beside  the 
lodge  stands  the  tree  that  is  called  Tooth  (Ono"dja'). 
Moreover,  the  blossoms  this  standing  tree  bears  cause  the 
world  to  be  light,  making  it  light  for  men-beings  dwelling 
there."  This  agrees  with  the  Seneca  version  previously 
cited  in  this  article. 

The  "Tree  of  Peace"  symbolically  planted  by  Dekana- 
wi'da.  as  has  been  noted  was  called  the  "Tree  of  the  Great 
Long  Leaves."  It  will  be  observed  that  the  "tree  of  light" 
in  nearly  every  case  where  leaves  are  shown  at  all  has 
long  sword-like  leaves.  This  is  true  among  the  Huron  in 
their  older  patterns,  as  among  the  Iroquois.  The  Huron, 
however,  now  call  these  long  leaves  "dead  branches"  and 
the  unopened  flowers  "balsam  fir."12  The  Huron,  as  with 
most  of  the  Iroquois,  have  likely  forgotten  or  confused  the 
true  names  of  the  elements  of  their  designs.  These  designs, 
with  the  Huron  at  least,  seem  to  have  undergone  some 
change  due  to  the  necessity  for  trade  purposes  of  working 

11  Hewitt,  Iroquois  Cosmology,  Part  I,  p.  151 ;  21  An.  Kept.  Bur. 
Am.  EtiL,  "Washington,  1903. 

12  Speck,  op.  cit. 


Embroidered   pouch  made 
tree  and  floral  designs, 
um.  Scale 


by  the  Seneca  before 
Specimen  in  New  York 


1S50. 
State 


Note 
Muse- 


EMBLEMATICAL  TREES 


443 


their  patterns  in  outline  and  quickly.  It  is  most  import- 
ant to  observe,  however,  that  oftentimes  when  the  object  of 
using  a  symbol  is  primarily  for  decorative  purposes,  the 
Indian  artist  or  needle-worker  gives  parts  of  the  design 
"pattern  names,"  often  at  entire  variance  with  the  real 


Pig.  6. — Various  forms  of  the  celestial  tree.  Here  the  unit  is  super- 
posed to  form  the  tree. 

meaning  of  the  part  but  based  upon  real  or  fancied  resem- 
blance. With  the  Huron  with  whom  the  decorative  element 
is  now  of  primary  importance  this  seems  to  have  been  the 
case.  Indeed,  Dr.  Speck  does  not  say  that  the  parts  of  the 
designs  which  he  illustrates  are  symbols  though  he  does 
give  the  names  which  the  Huron  told  him.  The  Huron  are 
very  likely  making  "trees  of  light"  and  do  not  know  it,  in 
this  respect  being  similar  to  their  Iroquois  brethren.  The 
designs  are  worked,  as  some  of  my  Indian  informants  say, 
"because  they  are  Indian"  and  likewise  because  they  have 
become  accustomed  to  them  and  because  there  seems  noth- 
ing more  appropriate  to  invent. 

This  instance  suggests  how  with  change  of  environment 
myths,  symbols  and  ceremonial  rites  may  lose  their  meaning 
and  yet  preserve  their  outward  form. 


444 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


The  two-curve  motif  in  Indian  art  is  widely  distributed 
throughout  America.  In  many  instances  it  seems  to  have 
meanings  similar  to  that  given  it  by  the  Iroquois,  though 


Fig.  7. — "The  big  tree  in  the  middle  of  the  earth."  From  the 
Ojibwa  Midiwiwin. 

there  are  other  instances  where  it  has  not.  It  is  sometimes 
used  with  a  few  simple  additions  to  represent  the  face  of 
the  thunderbird  or  even  the  human  face,  at  least  the  eyes 
and  nose.  In  a  more  elaborate  form  it  is  found  in  the 
Fejervary  Codex  as  a  tree  symbol  though  a  variation  of  the 
form  in  the  Vienna  codex  makes  the  cross-section  of  a  vase. 

It  is  not  strange  that  the  simple  outline  should  be  found 
almost  universally.  It  is  one  of  those  simple  conceptions 
in  art  that  would  occur  to  any  people  independently.  Many 
things  in  nature  suggest  it.  It  is  not  its  outline,  however, 
so  much  as  its  use  as  a  definite  symbol  and  its  combination 
with  others  that  gives  it  interest  to  the  writer. 

The  world-tree  with  its  long  leaves  and  luminous 
flowers  is  worthy  of  more  detailed  consideration.  It  seems 
to  have  been  a  deeply  imbedded  concept  with  the  certain 
branches  of  the  Algonquin  stock  and  of  the  Iroquois,  affect- 
ing not  only  their  mythology  and  ceremonial  language  but 
also  their  decorative  art.  Whether  the  idea  has  a  deeper 
and  more  primitive  meaning  than  here  suggested  the  author 
does  not  pretend  to  know. 


E.    THE  SOCIETY  THAT  GUARDS  THE  MYSTIC 
POTENCE. 


Among  the  Seneca  Indians  for  many  years  the  most 
important  ceremonial  society  has  been  and  now  is  the 
organization  called  Neh  Ho-noh-chi-noh-gah  (Ne'  Ho- 
noa'tci'non"ga'),  commonly  called  the  "Secret  Medicine 
Society,"  and  as  often  the  "Little  Water  Company." 

This  society  (hoennidion'got)  is  instituted  primarily  to 
preserve  the  mystice  potence  or  orenda  (meaning  magical 
power)  supposed  to  be  inherent  in  the  medicine  called  the 
niga'ni'ga'a'  (meaning  small  dose),  and  to  preserve  the 
methods  of  administering  it. 

Of  the  several  native  societies  that  have  survived  among 
the  Seneca,  none  remains  more  exclusive,  more  secret  or  so 
rigorously  adheres  to  its  ancient  forms.  No  organization 
among  the  Seneca  is  so  well  knit  together  and  not  one  is  so 
united  in  its  purpose.  Its  members  and  officers  are  among 
the  most  conservative  and  best  respected  men  of  their  com- 
munities, and  they  preserve  the  rites  of  the  order  with 
great  fidelity.  Harmony  prevails  for  discord  of  any  kind 
would  be  at  variance  with  the  very  fundamental  teachings 
of  the  order.  No  organization  among  the  Senecas  to-day 
is  so  mysterious,  nor  does  any  other  possess  the  means  of 
enforcing  so  rigorously  its  laws.  The  Honohtcinohgah  is 
without  doubt  a  society  of  great  antiquity;  few  Iroquois 
societies,  perhaps,  are  more  so.  One  authority  has  con- 
tended that  it  is  a  tribal  branch  of  an  organization  found 
everywhere  among  Indians  throughout  the  continent  and 
produced  arguments  to  support  the  theory,  but  an  examina- 
tion of  its  traditions  and  ritual  would  lead  to  the  opinion 
that  it  is  purely  Iroquoian. 

In  order  to  understand  the  organization  it  is  first  neces- 
sary to  understand  the  legend  of  its  origin  when  many 

445 


446 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


otherwise  obscure  allusions  will  be  made  apparent.  This 
is  given  in  69,  under  Traditions,  page  386. 

NEH  NIGAHNIGAHAH. 

The  charm  medicine  is  known  as  the  niga'ni'ga'a'  and 
each  member  possesses  a  certain  amount  of  it.  The  secret 
of  compounding  the  niga'ni'ga'a'  rested  with  only  one  man 
in  a  tribe,  who,  according  to  the  teachings  of  the  society, 
would  be  apprised  of  approaching  death  and  given  time  to 
transmit  the  knowledge  to  a  successor  whom  he  should 
choose.  According  to  the  traditions  of  the  Honohtcinohgah 
the  secret  holder  always  foreknew  the  hour  of  his  death 
and  frequently  referred  to  it  in  lodge  meetings. 

The  "small  dose"  medicine  is  composed  of  the  brains  of 
various  mammals,  birds,  fish  and  other  animals  and  the 
pollen  and  roots  of  various  plants,  trees  and  vegetables. 
These  ingredients  are  compounded  and  pulverized  with  cer- 
tain other  substances  as  squash  seeds,  corn  roots,  etc.,  and 
constitute  the  base  of  the  niganigaah. 

That  this  medicine  actually  possesses  chemical  proper- 
ties that  react  on  human  tissue  was  proven  by  Dr.  J.  H. 
Salisbury,  an  eminent  physician  and  a  former  State  chem- 
ist, who  according  to  Mrs.  H.  M.  Converse  analyzed  and 
experimented  with  a  small  quantity  that  he  had  secured 
from  a  member  of  the  society. 

The  medicine  itself  is  of  a  yellowish  hue  and  when 
opened  in  the  dark  sometimes  appears  luminous,  probably 
from  the  organic  phosphorus  that  it  contains.  The  utmost 
caution  is  employed  by  the  members  of  the  Honohtcinohgah 
to  preserve  the  medicine  from  exposure  to  the  air  in  unsafe 
places  and  from  contaminating  influences.  It  is  held  in  a 
small  skin  bag1  and  wrapped  in  many  coverings  of  cloth  and 
skin  and  finally  enclosed  in  a  bark,  wood  or  tin  case  to 
keep  it  free  from  moisture,  disease  and  dirt. 


1  The  wrapping  must  not  be  from  the  skin  of  any  "medicine  ani- 
mal." 


GUARDS  OF  THE  MYSTIC  POTENCE 


447 


Among  the  Seneca  of  modern  times  John  Patterson 
was  the  last  of  the  holders  of  the  secret  and  the  secret  of 
the  precise  method  of  compounding  the  medicine  died  with 
him,  he  in  some  way  having  failed  to  instruct  a  successor. 
The  members  thus  doubly  guard  their  medicine  and  are 
loath  to  use  it  except  in  cases  of  extreme  necessity  for 
when  it  is  exhausted  not  only  will  they  be  unable  to  secure 
more  but  by  a  legend  when  the  medicine  is  gone  the  Sene- 
cas  will  forever  lose  their  identity  as  Indians. 

METHOD  OF  ADMINISTERING  THE  CHARMED  MEDICINE. 

A  person  who  wishes  to  have  the  medicine  given  him 
for  the  cure  of  a  wound,  broken  bone  or  specific  disease, 
must  purge  himself  and  for  three  days  must  abstain 
from  the  use  of  salt  or  grease.  His  food  must  be  the 
flesh  of  white  birds  or  animals  and  only  the  white  portions. 
The  system  of  the  patient  is  then  ready  to  receive  the  medi- 
cine. The  medicine  man  comes  to  his  lodge  and  an  assist- 
ant searches  the  house  for  anything  that  might  destroy  the 
"life"  of  the  medicine  such  as  household  animals,  vermin, 
decayed  meat,  blood,  soiled  garments,  etc.  These  things 
removed  from  the  house,  the  patient  is  screened  off  and 
the  guard  patrols  the  premises  warning  away  all  infected 
or  obnoxious  persons.  An  attendant  who  has  previously 
been  dispatched  to  a  clear  running  stream  enters  with  a 
bowl  of  water  that  has  been  dipped  from  the  crest  of  the 
ripples  as  they  "sang  their  way  down  the  water-road."  Not 
to  antagonize  the  forces  in  the  water,  it  was  dipped  the  way 
the  current  ran,  down  stream,  and  not  upward  against  it. 

Everything  now  being  in  readiness  the  medicine  man 
takes  a  basket  of  tobacco  and  as  he  repeats  the  ancient 
formula  he  casts  pinches  of  the  tobacco  into  the  flames  that 
the  sacred  smoke  may  lift  his  words  to  the  Great  Spirit. 
The  water  is  then  poured  out  in  a  cup  and  the  medicine 
packet  opened.  With  a  miniature  ladle  that  holds  as  much 
of  the  powder  as  can  be  held  on  the  tip  of  the  blade  of  a 


448 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


small  penknife,  the  medicine  man  dips  three  times  from 
the  medicine  and  drops  the  powder  on  the  surface  of  the 
water  in  three  spots,  the  points  of  a  triangle.  If  the  medi- 
cine floats  the  omen  is  good,  if  it  clouds  the  water  the  results 
are  considered  doubtful  and  if  it  sinks  death  may  be  pre- 
dicted with  a  degree  of  certainty  and  the  medicine  is  thrown 
away.  In  the  case  of  severe  cuts  or  contusions  and  broken 
bones  the  medicated  water  is  sprinkled  upon  the  affected 
part  and  an  amount  is  taken  internally.  A  medicine  song  is 
then  chanted  by  the  "doctor"  who  accompanies  himself  with 
a  gourd  rattle.  After  the  ceremony  of  healing,  the  people 
of  the  house  partake  of  a  feast  of  fruit,  and  the  medicine 
man  departs  with  his  fee,  a  pinch  of  sacred  tobacco.  The 
following  description  of  the  lodge  ceremony  from  the  lips 
of  a  Seneca  will  not  be  out  of  place.  The  story  is  related 
exactly  as  it  came  from  the  tongue  of  the  interpreter. 

Jesse  Hill  speaking :  "Mother  scraped  off  basswood 
bark,  soaked  it  in  water  and  wrapped  it  around  my  leg. 
Next  day  we  sent  for  the  medicine  man.  He  came  at  sun 
set  and  sent  to  the  creek  for  fresh  water  to  be  dipped  where 
the  current  was  swift,  with  a  pail  not  against  the  current. 
Poured  some  in  a  tea  cup  and  pulled  out  the  medicine  bag. 
Opened  it  with  a  charmed  shovel  not  much  larger  than  a 
pin.  Dipped  three  times.  Cup  of  water.  Floated.  Go 
up  or  down.  Understood  it  was  good  medicine.  Took 
some  in  his  mouth  and  sprayed  it  on  my  leg.  Told  mother 
to  put  a  curtain  around  my  bed  so  no  one  could  see  me.  If 
anyone  saw  any  part  of  my  body,  medicine  would  do  no 
good.  Soon  came  dark.  All  the  animals  were  put  out. 
Took  tin  pail  and  made  fire.  Put  in  center  of  room  and 
all  sat  around  in  silence.  Medicine  man  made  prayer.  Scat- 
tered tobacco  mother  had  prepared  over  fire.  Took  rattle 
made  of  gourd  and  chanted  medicine  song  loud  and  louder. 
Half  hour  pain  had  gone.  Boiled  different  fruits  together 
till  soft.  Put  kettle  where  all  could  help  out  with  little 
dipper.     Left  two  doses  of  medicine.     Eat  nothing  but 


GUARDS  OF  THE  MYSTIC  POTENCE  449 


white  things.  White  of  egg  of  chicken  had  white  feathers 
and  eat  chicken  if  white.  Five  or  six  days  spoke  things. 
All  certain  took  pain  away." 

THE  MEDICINE  LODGE  RITUAL. 

The  Honohtcinohgah  "sits,"  that  is,  holds  lodge  meet- 
ings, four  times  each  year ;  in  mid-winter,  when  the  moon 
Nisha  proclaims  the  new  year,  when  the  deer  sheds  its  hair, 
when  the  strawberries  are  ripe  and  when  corn  is  in  the 
milk.  At  these  ceremonies  each  member  brings  his  or 
her  medicine  to  be  sung  for  and  if  unable  to  be  present 
sends  it  by  messenger. 

Only  members  know  the  exact  place  and  time  of  meet- 
ing. At  the  entrance  of  the  medicine  lodge,  a  private  house 
of  a  member  chosen  for  the  ceremony,  a  guard  is  stationed 
who  scrutinized  each  person  who  attempts  to  pass  within. 
Across  the  door  within  is  placed  a  heavy  bench  "manned" 
by  several  stalwart  youths  who,  should  a  person  not  en- 
titled to  see  the  interior  of  the  lodge  appear,  would  throw 
their  weight  against  the  bench  and  force  the  door  shut  leav- 
ing the  unfortunate  intruder  to  the  mercy  of  the  outside 
guards  and  incoming  members. 

Each  member  entering  the  lodge  has  with  him  his  medi- 
cine, a  quantity  of  tobacco,  a  pipe  and  perhaps  a  rattle 
although  most  of  the  lodge  rattles  are  in  the  keeping  of 
Honondiont  or  officers.  As  the  members  enter  the  room 
they  deposit  their  contribution  of  tobacco  in  a  husk  basket 
placed  for  the  purpose  on  a  table  at  one  side  and  then  put 
their  medicine  packets  beside  the  basket  of  the  sacred  herb. 

The  ceremony  proper  commences  about  II  P.  M.  in 
the  summer  and  in  winter  an  hour  earlier  and  lasts  until 
nearly  daybreak.  The  feast  makers  enter  the  lodge  several 
hours  previous  to  the  ceremony  and  cook  the  food  for  the 
feast  and  prepare  the  strawberry  wine. 

The  seats  in  the  lodge  are  arranged  around  the  sides 
of  the  room  leaving  the  center  of  the  room  open. 


450 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


When  all  is  in  readiness  a  Honondiont  takes  a  basket 
of  sacred  tobacco,  oyenkwa  onweh,  and,  as  he  chants  the 
opening  ceremony  he  casts  the  sacred  herb  into  the  smould- 
ering coals.  The  lights  are  all  burning  and  the  members 
are  in  their  seats,  the  only  exception  being  the  feast  makers 
whose  duties  require  their  attention  at  the  fireplace. 

From  the  manuscript  notes  of  Mrs.  Harriet  Maxwell 
Converse,  I  find  the  following  translation  of  the  "Line 
Around  the  Fire  Ceremony." 

THE  LINE  AROUND  THE  FIRE  CEREMONY. 

The  Singer,  (to  the  members) :  "This  is  the  line  around  the 
fire  ceremony.    Now  I  have  asked  blessings  and  made  prayer." 
The  Singer  sprinkles  sacred  tobacco  on  the  fire. 

(The  Singer  speaks  to  the  invisible  powers) : 
"Now  I  give  you  incense, 
You,  the  Great  Darkness! 

You,  our  great  grand  parents,  here  to  night, — 
We  offer  you  incense! 

We  assemble  at  certain  times  in  the  year 
That  this  may  be  done. 

(We  trust  that  all  believe  in  this  medicine, 

For  all  are  invited  to  partake  of  this  medicine.) 

(Now  one  has  resigned.  We  ask  you  to  let  him  off  in  a 
friendly  manner.  Give  him  good  luck  and  take  care  that  his 
friends  remain  in  faithful!) 

Now  we  offer  you  this  incense! 
Some  have  had  ill  luck 
Endeavoring  to  give  a  human  being. 
We  hope  you  will  take  hold 
And  help  your  grandchildren, 
Nor  be  discouraged  in  us! 

Now  we  act  as  we  offer  you  incense! 
You  love  it  the  most  of  all  offerings! 
With  it  you  will  hear  us  better 
And  not  tire  of  our  talking, 
But  love  us  with  all  power 
Beyond  all  treasures 
Or  spreading  you  words  through  the  air! 


WOMEN 


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fa  d. 


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SO/VC  HOL0ER 


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OUTER  ROOAf  FOR  V/S/rO&S 


V/ 51  TO  PS  DOOR. 


A  RRANGEMENT 

or  THE 

LITTLE    WATER  LODGE 


This  diagram  shows  the  arrangement  of  the  lodge  room  of  the 
Little  Water  Company,  sometimes  also  called  the  Medicine  Society, 
the  Guards  of  the  Mystic  Potence  and  the  Night  Song  Company. 


452 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


All  men  traveling  under  the  great  heavens, 
You  have  invited,  your  grandchildren  and  all  nations! 

Oh  you  that  make  the  noise, 
You  the  great  Thunderer! 
Your  grandchildren  wish  to  thank  you! 
All  your  grandchildren  have  asked  me 
To  offer  this  incense  upon  the  mountain  to  you! 

(Speaking  to  the  Great  Spirit,  Sho-gwa-yah-dih-sah-oh) : 

Oh  you  the  Manager  of  All  Things! 
We  ask  you  to  help  us, 
To  help  us  make  this  medicine  strong! 
You  are  the  Creator, 
The  Most  High, 
The  Best  Friend  of  men! 
We  ask  you  to  help  us! 
We  implore  your  favor! 

I  have  spoken.1 

After  the  tobacco  throwing  ceremony  the  keeper  of  the 
rattles  gives  each  person  in  the  circle  a  large  gourd  rattle 
and  then  the  lights  are  extinguished  leaving  the  assembly 
in  total  darkness.  The  watcher  of  the  medicine  uncovers 
the  bundles  exposing  contents  to  the  air  and  as  he  does  so 
a  faint  glow  like  a  luminous  cloud,  according  to  the  elect, 
hovers  over  the  table  and  disappears.  The  leader  or  holder 
of  the  song  gives  a  signal  with  his  rattle  calling  the  assem- 
by  to  order  and  then  begins  to  beat  his  rattle.  The  people 
shake  their  rattles  in  regular  beats  until  all  are  in  unison 
when  the  holder  of  the  song  commences  the  song,  which  is 
taken  up  by  the  company.  "And  such  a  song  it  is !  It  is  a 
composition  of  nature's  sounds  and  thrills  the  very  fiber 
of  those  who  hear  it.  It  transports  one  from  the  lodge 
back  into  the  dark  mysterious  stone-age  forest  and  in  its 
wierd  wild  cadences  it  tells  of  the  origin  of  the  society,  of 
the  hunter  in  the  far  south  country  and  how  when  he  was 
killed  by  the  enemy  the  animals  to  whom  he  had  always 
been  a  friend  restored  him  to  life.   It  tells  of  his  pilgrimage 


i    Recorded  literally  as  translated  by  Wm.  Jones. 


GUARDS  OF  THE  MYSTIC  POTENCE  453 


over  plain  and  mountain,  over  river  an  dlake,  ever  following 
the  call  of  the  night  bird  and  the  beckoning  of  the  winged 
light.   It  is  an  opera  of  nature's  people  that  is  unsurpassed." 

The  first  song  requires  one  hour  for  singing.  Lights  are 
then  turned  up  and  the  feast  maker  passes  the  kettle  of 
sweetened  strawberry  juice  and  afterward  the  calumet 
from  which  all  draw  a  puff  of  the  sacred  incense.  Then 
comes  an  interval  of  rest  in  which  the  members  smoke 
sacred  tobacco  and  discuss  lodge  matters.  The  medicine 
is  covered  before  the  lights  are  turned  up. 

With  a  chug  of  his  resonant  gourd  rattle  the  leader 
calls  the  people  together  for  the  second  song  which  is  wilder 
and  more  savage  in  character.  The  whippoorwill's  call  is 
heard  at  intervals  and  again  the  call  of  the  crows  who  tell 
of  a  feast  to  come.  The  whippoorwill  song  is  one  that  is 
most  beautiful  but  it  is  played  on  the  flute  only  at  rare 
intervals  and  then  it  is  so  short  that  it  excites  an  almost 
painful  yearning  to  hear  it  again  but  there  is  art  in  this 
savage  opera  and  its  performers  never  tire  of  it  because  it 
is  wonderful  even  to  them.  During  the  singing  every  per- 
son in  the  circle  must  sing  and  shake  his  rattle ;  to  pause 
is  considered  an  evil  thing.  It  is  no  small  physical  effort  to 
shake  a  long  necked  gourd  a  hundred  and  fifty  times  a 
minute  for  sixty  minutes  without  cessation.  This  I  soon 
discovered  when  as  a  novitiate  of  the  society  I  was  placed 
between  a  medicine  woman  and  man  and  given  an  extra 
heavy  rattle.  Every  now  and  then  a  hand  from  one  or  the 
other  side  would  stretch  forth  from  the  inky  blackness  and 
touch  my  arm  to  see  if  I  were  faithful  and  sometimes  a 
moist  ear  would  press  against  my  face  to  discover  if  I  were 
singing  and  listening  a  moment  to  my  attempts,  would  draw 
back.  The  song  in  parts  is  pitched  very  high  and  it  is  a 
marvel  that  male  voices  can  reach  it.  At  times  the  chief 
singers  seem  to  employ  ventriloquism  for  they  throw  their 
voices  about  the  room  in  a  manner  that  is  startling  to  the 
novice.    At  the  close  of  the  song  lights  are  turned  up  and 


454 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


the  berry  water  and  calumet  are  passed  again  and  a  longer 
period  of  rest  is  allowed.  There  are  two  other  sections  of 
the  song-ritual  with  rest  intervals  that  bring  the  close  of 
the  song  close  to  daybreak.  The  feast  makers  pass  the 
berry  water  and  pipe  again  and  then  imitating  the  cries  of 
the  crow,  the  ho-non-di-ont  pass  the  bear  or  boar's  head  on 
a  platter  and  members  tear  off  a  mouthful  each  with  their 
teeth  imitating  the  caw  of  a  crow  as  they  do  so.  After 
the  head  is  eaten  each  member  brings  forth  his  pail  and 
places  it  before  the  fireplace  for  the  feast  maker  to  fill 
with  the  alloted  portion  of  o-no"-kwa  or  hulled  corn  soup. 
When  the  pails  are  filled  one  by  one  the  company  disperses 
into  the  gray  light  or  dawn  and  the  medicine  ceremony  is 
over.  At  the  close  of  the  last  song  each  one  takes  his 
packet  of  medicine  and  secretes  it  about  his  person. 

The  medicine  song  according  to  the  ritual  of  the  society 
is  necessary  to  preserve  the  virtue  of  the  medicine.  It  is 
an  appreciation  of  the  founder  of  the  order  and  a  thanks- 
giving to  the  host  of  living  things  that  have  given  their 
life-power  that  the  medicine  might  be.  The  spirits  of  these 
creatures  hover  about  the  medicine  which  they  will  not  de- 
sert as  long  as  the  holder  remains  faithful  to  the  conditions 
that  they  saw  fit  to  impose  when  it  was  given  to  the  founder. 
The  psychic  influence  of  the  animals  and  plants  is  the  im- 
portant part  of  the  medicine  and  when  the  medicine  is 
opened  in  the  dark  they  are  present  in  a  shadowy  form  that 
is  said  to  sometimes  become  faintly  luminous  and  visible. 
Members  are  said  frequently  to  see  these  spirit  forms,  and 
sometimes  not  individual  members  only  but  the  entire  com- 
pany simultaneously, — but  I  am  now  trenching  on  a  sub- 
ject of  which  I  am  asked  not  to  speak.  There  are  marvels 
and  mysteries  connected  with  the  ceremonies  of  the  Hono- 
tcinohgah,  suffice  to  say,  that  white  men  will  never  know, 
nor  would  believe  if  told.  The  Indian  has  some  sacred 
mysteries  that  will  die  with  him. 

Some  one  has  suggested  that  Indian  songs  are  not  stable 


GUARDS  OF  THE  MYSTIC  POTENCE 


455 


but  vary  from  time  to  time,  but  this  idea  is  at  once  dis- 
pelled when  we  see  a  company  of  fifty  young  men  and  old 
chanting  the  same  song  without  a  discord  from  night  till 
morning.  The  song  is  uniformly  the  same  and  probably 
has  varied  but  slightly  since  it  originated.  It  is  still  intact 
with  none  of  its  parts  missing,  although  the  words  are 
archaic  and  some  not  understood. 

The  medicine  men  teach  that  if  a  charm  packet  is  not 
sung  for  at  least  once  in  a  year  the  spirits  will  become 
restless  and  finally  angry  and  bring  all  manner  of  ill  luck 
upon  its  possessor.  The  spirits  of  the  animals  and  plants 
that  gave  their  lives  for  the  medicine  will  not  tolerate  neg- 
lect and  will  relentlessly  punish  the  negligent  holder  and 
many  instances  are  cited  to  prove  that  neglect  brings  mis- 
fortune. The  medicine  will  bring  about  accidents  that  will 
cause  sprains,  severe  bruises  and  broken  bones  and  finally 
death.  I  know  of  several  persons,  myself,  who  becoming 
Christians,  have  neglected  their  medicine.  Whether  the  be- 
lief is  true  or  not,  some  have  certainly  met  with  repeated 
accidents.  In  every  Seneca  settlement  the  story  is  the 
same  and  individuals  are  pointed  out  who  having  neglected 
their  medicine  have  become  injured  or  maimed  for  life. 
Should  some  member  of  a  family  die  leaving  his  medicine 
its  orenda  will  compel  the  person  who  should  take  the  dead 
one's  place  to  respect  its  desires.  I  will  relate  one  instance. 
When  John  Patterson  the  last  holder  of  the  secret  died  he 
left  his  medicine  in  the  loft  of  his  house.  His  son,  a  well 
educated  man  of  wide  business  experience,  one  of  the 
shrewdest  men  of  the  Seneca  and  a  person  seemingly  free 
of  superstition,  thought  that  he  would  allow  the  medicine 
of  his  father  to  remain  idle.  He  wished  to  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  old  fashioned  heathenish  customs  of  his 
father.  Indeed  he  did  not  take  interest  enough  in  the  medi- 
cine to  look  for  it.  Several  medicine  sittings  passed  by 
and  the  man  began  to  suffer  strange  accidents.  One  even- 
ing as  he  msat  with  his  family  on  the  veranda  of  his  home 


456 


SENECA  MYTHS  AND  LEGENDS 


(a  modern  dwelling  such  as  is  found  in  any  modern  town), 
the  members  say  that  he  heard  the  medicine  song  floating 
in  the  air  above  him.  He  was  startled  and  each  of  the 
family  was  frightened.  The  singing  continued  until  at 
length  it  grew  faint  and  ceased.  Upon  several  occasions 
the  family  and  visitors  heard  the  song  issuing  from  the 
air.  Mr.  Patterson  sent  for  the  leader  of  the  lower  medi- 
cine lodge,  William  Nephew,  who  asked  where  the  medi- 
cine was  hidden.  No  one  knew  but  after  a  search  it  was 
discovered.  Mr.  Nephew  ordered  that  a  feast  should  be 
made  and  the  rites  performed.  Then  was  the  modern  edu- 
cated Indian  forced  to  join  the  lodge  and  take  his  father's 
seat.  This  story,  of  which  I  have  given  but  the  bare  out- 
line, is  commonly  known  among  the  Senecas,  Mr.  M.  R. 
Harrington,  of  the  American  Indian  Museum,  being  per- 
fectly familiar  with  the  facts  of  the  case  which  he  took 
pains  to  learn  while  staying  at  the  Patterson  home.  How- 
soever this  may  be  explained  it  is  nevertheless  considered 
one  of  the  mysteries  of  the  medicine  and  the  instance  is 
not  a  solitary  one. 

Few  white  people  have  ever  been  allowed  in  a  medicine 
lodge  and  when  they  have  been  they  have  not  seen  to  wit- 
ness the  ceremony  in  full.  I  know  of  only  four  who  ever  be- 
come members,  holding  the  medicine :  Joseph  Keppler,  the 
publisher,  and  Mrs.  Harriet  Maxwell  Converse,  George  K. 
Staples,  and  George  L.  Tucker,  with  all  of  whom  I  have 
sat  in  the  medicine  lodge. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Works  Consulted  in  Editing  This  Compillation. 


Barbeau,  C.  M. 

Beauchamp,  W.  M. 

Boaz,  F. 

Hewitt,  J.  N.  B. 

Hewitt  and  Curtin 

Leland,  C.  G. 
Lowie,  R.  L. 

Mooney,  James 

Radin,  Paul 

Reichard,  Gladys  A. 
Skinner,  Alanson 

Waterman,  T.  T. 


Wyandot  Tales,  Jour.  Amer.   Folk  Lore, 

Vol.  28,  (1915),  p.  83-95. 
Huron    and    Wyandot    Mythology,  Dept. 

Mines,  Canada,  No.  80. 
Iroquois  Trails,  Fayetteville,  N.  Y.,  1897. 
Iroquois   Folk-Lore,   Onondaga   Co.  Hist. 

Soc,  Syracuse,  1922. 
Mythology  and  Folk  Lore  of  the  N.  A. 

Indians,  Jour.  Am.  Folk-Lore,  Vol.  27, 

375. 

Iroquois    Cosmology,   21   An.   Rept.  Bur. 

American  Ethnology. 
Seneca  Myths,  Fiction  and  Folk-Tales,  32 

An.  Rept.  Bur.  Amer.  Ethnology. 
Algonquin  Legends. 

Test  Theme  in  N.  A.  Folk-Lore,  Jour.  Am. 

Folk-Lore,  Vol.  21,  97-148. 
Myths  of  the  Cherokee,  19  An.  Rept.  Bur. 

Amer.  Ethnology. 
Literary    Aspects    of   N.    A.  Mythology, 

Bulletin   16,   Canadian    Department  of 

Mines. 

Religion  of  the  N.  A.  Indians,  Jour.  Amer. 

Folk-Lore,  Vol.  27,  335. 
Literary    Types    and    Dissemination  of 

Myths,  Jour.  Amer.  Folk-Lore,  Vol.  34, 

269-307. 

Central  Algonkian  Folk-Lore,  Jour.  Am. 
Folk-Lore,  Vol.  27,  97-100. 

Menomini  Folk  Lore,  Anthrop.  Papers, 
Amer.  Mus.  Nat.  Hist.,  Vol.  XIII,  1915. 

Explanatory  Elements  in  the  Folk  Tales 
of  the  N.  A.  Indians,  Jour.  Am.  Folk- 
Lore,  38,  1. 


4-Ai 


INDEX 


Note  :  Themes,  characters,  episodes  and  common  material  are  in- 
dexed in  italics.    Other  subjects  are  in  the  usual  Roman. 


Adoption  by  animals,  137. 
Air  canoe,  97,  100,  318. 
Air  jumping,  28. 
Albany,  traditions  of,  406,  407. 
America,  discovery  of,  383. 
Ancient  One,  5,  59,  60. 
Ancient  relics,  54. 
Animal  foster  parents,    25,  137, 
148. 

Animal  paw  target,  28,  160. 
Animal   skin,    borrowing    of,  30, 
132,  201. 

Animals,  origin  of,  67 ;  evil,  68, 
414. 

Animals  talk  to  men,  29,  137,  147, 

224,  389. 
Animated  finger,  31,  337. 
Arrow  making,  98. 
Ashes,  washing  in,  197. 
Astral  body,  29. 

Ataentsic  (see  Ancient  One),  6, 
59,  60. 

Autumnal  colors,  origin  of,  82. 
Awaiting  women,  118,  135. 

Barbeau,  C.  M.,  cited,  86  f.n.,  458, 
myth  by,  417. 

Bark  dagger,  31,  191. 

Bark  dolls,  31  (see  also  dolls). 

Bark  lodge,  43,  interior,  44 ;  pic- 
ture, 47. 

Basket  from  sky,  86. 

Beads,  magical,  155. 

Bear,  387. 

Bear  claw  mittens,  126. 

Bear,  monster,  17  (see  also  Nia- 

hgwahe). 
Bears  talk,  148,  149  ff. 
Bearded  monster,  228. 
Beauchamp,  William  M.,  459. 
Beaver,  309  ;  evil  beaver,  162,  189. 
Beaver,  white,  17. 
Beds,  52. 

Bewitched,  370  (see  also  witch- 
craft, witches,  wizards). 

Bewitched  parents,  26. 

Bibliography,  459. 

Big  Breast,  19. 

Bird  colors,  origin  of,  313. 

Blow  gun,  18,  355. 

Blue  lizard,  17,  163  (see  lizard, 
blue). 

Blue  otter,  17. 

Bluesky,  William,  107,  f.n. 

Boaster  makes  good,  24,  350,  355, 
361. 

Boas,  F.,  459. 

Boiling  oil,  29,  267,  275,  291,  297, 

348. 
Bone  awl,  98. 
Borrowed  eyes,  31,  105. 


Borrowed  skin,  31,  237. 

Boy  hero.  97,  111,  116,  122,  128, 
137,  142,  147,  154,  159,  173,  200, 
241,  253,  269,  280,  342,  359,  426. 

Box  contains  girls,  28,  234,  250. 

Brother  and  sister,  293,  344. 

Brothers,  261,  278  ;  as  tormentor, 
205,  206. 

Buffalo,    chief,    138  ;  stampedes 

herd,  138. 
Buffalo,  early,  37. 
Buffalo  Historical  Society,  cited, 

42  f.n. 
Buffalo-one-rib,  33,  139. 
Buffalo  songs,  141. 
Bungling  boy,  142. 
Bungling  guest,  26,  209  ff. 
Bundles,  of  magical  objects,  163, 

222,  368,  369,  372,  376. 
Burmaster,  Everett  R.,  notes  by, 

369. 

Burning  corpse,  282,  300. 

Camouflage,  356. 

Cannibal,  133,  156,  203,  269,  271, 

284,  335,  345. 
Canoe,  134,  256,  269,  305,  342,  427. 
Capture,  356. 

Cattaraugus  reservation,  ix. 

Cave  of  giant,  397-398. 

Cedar  waxwings,  331. 

Celestial  tree,  6,  12,   33,  59,  60, 

411,  417,  433. 
Charm  holders'  society,  393. 
Charms,  witch,  366,  376. 
Cheek  tying.  118,  119,  124. 
Cherokee,  358,  422. 
Chestnuts,  origin  of,  132. 
Chewink,  326. 
Chickadee,  325. 
Clay  pots,  54. 
Cleansing,  391. 

Cloudland  eagle,  described,  16 ; 
387 

Child  killer,  282. 
Chipmunk's  stripes,  314. 
Clothing  of  Seneca,  41,  48. 
Clouds,  scouts  of  Thunderer,  226. 
Coffin,  298. 

Colden,  C,  quoted,  431. 
Columbus,  C,  384. 
Comet,  origin  of,  80,  f.n. 
Concealed  hearts,  28,  202,  274. 
Conception  by  entrance,  105. 
Conflict  between  Good  and  Evil, 
69-70. 

Contest  with  sorcerers,   23,  168, 

245-252,  265,  351. 
Converse,  H.  M.,  446,  456. 
Corn  maiden,  206. 


461 


462 


INDEX 


Cornplanter,  Edward,  picture, 
plate  2  ;  cited,  85,  f.n.,  107,  f.n., 
146,  f.n.,  153,  f.n.,  199,  f.n.,  305. 
f.n.,  383,  386,  f.n. 

Corn  rains,  28,  205. 

Cornstalk,  magic,  592. 

Corn  storage,  53. 

Cosmic  trees,  10,  415,  431. 

Cosmogony,  59,  411. 

Costumes  of  characters,  described, 
155,  174-175,  184,  218,  278. 

Council,  182,  281,  422,  429. 

Crabs  (crawfish),  319,  321. 

Creation  of  man,  69-70,  71,  416, 
434. 

Creator,  86. 

Cripples,  origin  of,  107,  158,  204, 

(see  skeletons  restored). 
Crow,  325,  388. 

Dancing    maidens,    celestial,    86 ; 

conjured,  215. 
Daughters,    lost,    228  ;  beautiful, 

154. 

Death,  origin  of,  93. 
Deer,  202. 
Dekanawida,  403. 
Descent,  423. 

Dew  eagle,  387,  (see  cloudland 
eagle). 

Divided  Body,  133. 

Divided  lodge,  200,  235,  284.  (See 
forbidden  chamber.) 

Doctor,  Laura  M.,  372,  f.n. 

Dog,  guard,  133,  136;  turns  to 
stone,  136;  guardian,  202;  car- 
ries refugee,  295  ;  saves  master, 
303  ;  witch's  transformation,  378. 

Dolls,  magic,  130,  272,  273,  345; 
witch,  374,  423. 

Door-flap  action,  30,  259. 

Door-post  tying,  121,  261. 

Double  deceives  sister,  25,  290. 

Dream  animals,  rescues  hero,  24  ; 
in  form  of  deer,  166  ;  spider, 
snake,  173 ;  appears,  179. 

Dream  demand,  27,  187,  245,  259. 

Dream  fast,  241. 

Dream  god  (Aikon),  10. 

Dream  helpers,  29,  173. 

Dreams,  4,  4  23. 

Drum,  138,  201. 

Dry  hand.  19,  368. 

Dual  existence,  168. 

Ducks,  leg  tying,  214. 

Duel,  168,  231;  of  dream  tests, 
245,  259  ;  rejected,  335. 

Dwarf,  a  monster,  228. 

Earth  diver,  33,  62,  412,  419. 

Earth  god,  8. 

Earth  Holder,  5. 

Education  of  young,  142. 

Elk,    magic.    188  ;    carries  hero 

away,  236. 
Enchanted  clearing,  31,  165. 
Enchanted  family.  109,  159,  169, 

173,  200,  242,  268,  297,  348. 
Enchanted  girls,  31,  169.  275. 
Enchanted  lodge,  109,  165. 
Enchanted  spring,  31. 
Entrapped,  178,  267,  270,  287,  348. 


Evil  banished,  34,  71. 
Evil  Mind  (Tawiskaro),  9,  64,  69, 
71. 

Eye  plaster,  312,  321. 

False  Faces,  8,  342,  347,  399  ;  so- 
ciety of,  400-401,  435. 

Famine.  185,  205,  337. 

Fat,  origin  of,  67. 

Father  search.  34,  65,  413,  414. 

Filthy  hero,  97,  123,  426. 

Fire  beast,  6,  61,  79. 

Fire  drill,  271. 

Fire-place  burial,  28,  293. 

Fish  line,  magical,  30,  125,  263. 

Five  Nations,  358,  395  ;  confedera- 
tion, 405,  436. 

Flayed  skin,  32,  130,  201. 

Flesh  eating  water,  33. 

Flint  chips,  throwing,  28  ;  236. 

Flint  lodge,  28,  261. 

Flute,  magic,  66,  253. 

Flying  heads,  13,  40. 

Folk-lore,  xv  ;  types  of  texts,  xix  ; 
fabricated,  xxi ;  obtaining  ver- 
sions, xxii ;  Seneca  unchanged, 
55. 

Food  plants,  origin  of,  64. 
Food  wasting  taboo,  206. 
Forbidden  chamber,  29,  201,  (see 

divided  lodge). 
Forbidden  direction,  108,  154,  201, 

254,  269,  321. 
Four,    magical    number,    162  ff., 

170  f.n. 
Friend  of  animals.  386. 
Frog,  evil,  162  ;  322. 
Frost  god,  14  ;  overcome,  91. 
Funeral,  pyre,  282  ;  customs,  425. 

Games,  38-40. 

George,  David,  an  informant,  153. 

Ghostly  legs,  18. 

Ghosts,  4,  279. 

Giant,  285,  336. 

Giantess,  human,  112. 

Gifts,  233. 

Glutton  destroyer,  19. 
Gods  and  folk-beasts,  5,  16. 
Good  Mind,  7,   8,  12,  64,  73,  92, 
395. 

Grandfather  and  grandson,  142, 
159. 

Grandmother  and  grandson,  200. 
Grasshopper's  leg,  340. 
Great  Bear  constellation,  81. 
Great  Ruler,  340,  395. 
Great  Spirit.  75. 
Grinding  bodies,  232. 

Hail,  15. 

Haiowentha  (Haiwatha),  404. 
Hair  tied  to  earth.  30,  255,  259. 
Handsome  Lake,  45,  366,  383. 
Harpy,  267. 

Harrington,   Mark   Raymond,  ix, 

456. 
Hawenio.  8. 
Head  hitting,  244,  259. 
Head  Opener,  10. 
Hearts  detached,  28,  202,  274. 
Heart  pinching,  319. 


INDEX 


463 


Heart  squeezing,  28,  203. 
Hero  enchanted,  179,  192. 
Hero  pulls  out  arrow,  27,  195. 
Hewitt,  J.  N.  B.,  xx,  6,  442. 
Hickory  nut  oil,  295. 
Hidden  lodge  child,  24,  167,  249. 
Hill,  Hon.  Henry  W.,  xi. 
Hoarded  water,  23,  34. 
Holder  of  Heavens,  395. 
Hole  in  the  ground,  147,  159,  256, 
266. 

Hollow  log  regeneration,  29,  100, 
120,  124,  237. 

Hollow  tree.  176,  177,  215. 

Horned  serpent,  16,  218  ;  picture 
facing-  218;  scales  of,  222  ;  res- 
cues woman,  225. 

Hornet  warriors,  155  ff. 

House  of  women,  102,  156,  250. 

Hunter,  182,  186,  254,  262,  350, 
386. 

Hunters,  classes  of,  152. 
Hunting  practice,  241. 
Hydra,  230. 

Idioms,  142. 
Idol,  423. 

Immaculate  conception,  34,  63. 
Imposter,  180  ;  fails,  24,  182,  192. 
Immediate  maturity,  63,  64,  (see 

precocious  twins). 
Inexhaustible  kettle,  30,  129. 
Ioueskha,  7,  8. 
Informants,  ix,  x,  199. 
Invisible  friend,  114. 
Iroquois,  386,  387  ;  401. 
Island,  lonely,  223,  256,  270. 

Jack  Berry's  town,  42,  45. 

Jealous  father,  228. 

Jealous  sister,  99. 

Jealous  sister-in-law,  26,  223. 

Jemmy,  Tommy,  365. 

Jimerson,    George   D.  (Tahadon- 

deh),  122,  f.n.,  337  f.n.,  342,  f.n., 

380,  f.n.,  396,  f.n. 
Johnson,  Esquire,  relation  bv,  411, 

421. 

Kennedy,  Fred,  ix,  370. 
Keppler,  Joseph,  456. 
Kicking  over  tree,  29,  204,  276. 
Kittle,  Delos  Big,  ix,  403,  407,  f.n. 

Ladders,  51. 
Lacrosse  playing,  104. 
Laughter   overcomes   manic.  162 
ff. 

Lazy  man.  208. 

Legends,  origin  of.  97. 

Leg  sharpening,  31,  213. 

Leland,  Charles  G.,  459. 

Levitation,  83,  199,  f.n.,  256. 

Lice  Minting.  30,  255. 

Listener,     (see    Hatondas),  116, 

122,  154. 
Lizard,  blue,  17,  163. 
Lodge  entraps  unwary,  156. 
Lonely  bird,  29,  325,  326. 
Lonely  lodge.  184,   200,  241,  253, 

262,  284,  290,  298,  344,  349. 
Long  House,  421. 
Lost  children,  228. 


Love  glance,  185. 
Love  powder,  373. 
Lover  wins  mate,  26. 
Lowie,  Robert  L.,  459. 
Lustration,  391. 

Magic  arrow,  29,   100,  185,  191, 

195,  263,  345. 
Magic  canoe,  30,  97,  100. 
Magic  birds,  31,  186. 
Magic  cap,  175,  184,  352. 
Magic  feathers,  31,  352. 
Magic  hair,  336. 

Magic    moccasins,    (see  running 

moccasins),  176. 
Magic  nut,  129. 
Magic  path,  135,  155,  162. 
Magic  pipe,  175,  186. 
Magic  pouch,  30,   116,   119,  128, 

175,  181. 
Magical  power,  3,  (see  also  Oren- 

da). 

Magic  remedy,  114,  257. 
Magic  root,  175. 
Magic  spring.  31,  133,  162,  177. 
Magic  suit,  30,  167,  174,  178,  181, 
220. 

Maiden  comes  for  husband,  205, 
284. 

Maiden  restored,  169. 

Man  making.  34,  69,  71,  416. 

Marksman.  161,  241,  253. 

Marriage  bread,  60,  123,  181,  205. 

Marry-me,  205,  284. 

Mask,  making  of,  401. 

Master  of  Life,  75,  76. 

Mats,  floor,  165. 

Medicine,  175,  181,  388,  445,  447 
ff. 

Methods  of  recording,  xvii. 
Miller,    Aurelia   Jones,    153,  f.n., 

158,  f.n.,  340,  f.n.,  394,  f.n. 
Miller,  Guy,  108,  f.n. 
Mischief  Maker,  18,  208,  278. 
Mole,  skin  borrowed,  132,  f.n.,  201, 
Moly   (a  magical  plant),  258. 
Monster  marries  girl,  26. 
Monster  race,  24,  140,  351. 
Monsters,  5,  130,  177. 
Moon,  12,  416. 
Mooney,  James,  459. 
Morgan,  Lewis  Henry,  441. 
Morning  Star,  12. 
Mother-in-law,  235. 
Mound,  139,  206,  230,  242,  274. 
Mourning,  424. 
Mutilating  nephew,  117,  242. 

Nail  parings,  332. 
Name  genius,  170,  f.n.,  300. 
Name  guessing,  241. 
Nature  conscious,  4. 
Nephew,   (see  uncle). 
Neutral,  45. 

New  Year's  ceremonial,  424. 
Niahgwahe,  126,  295,  344,  345,  351, 
358. 

North  wind.  88. 

Obstacles  intervene,  129. 
Ostacles  produced,   26,    264,  266, 
296. 


464 


INDEX 


Oil,  pool  of,  67. 

Ongwe  las,   (see  cannibal). 

Ordeals,  241,  252. 

Orenda    (magical  power),   3,  10, 

159,  184,  241,  445. 
Otter,  blue,  17. 

Overcoming  monsters,  23,  162  ff. 
Owls,  evil,  164  ;  177  ;  good,  387. 
Owls  from  witches'  heads,  28,  157, 
164,  177,  283. 

Pacifying  monsters,  28. 
Paddle,  magical,  256. 
Paint,  ceremonial,  167. 
Painting  face,  278-279. 
Panther,  evil,  165. 
Partridge,  328. 

Patting  gives  power,  204,  252,  255, 
263. 

Peabody    Museum    of  American 
Ethnology  and  Archaeologl,  ix. 
Peace  Tree,  431,  436,  442. 
Pestle  and  mortar,  112. 
Pigeons,  424. 

Pigeon  feathers,  265,  297,  347. 
Pine  tree,  origin,  85. 
Pipe,  175,  186. 
Pleiades,  origin,  86. 
Poison  cups,  231. 
Porcupine  monster,  428. 
Pouch,  99,  165,  175,  332. 
Powered  finger,  31. 
Power,    magically    acquired,  23, 
263. 

Power  testing,  71,  241-252. 
Precipice,  266. 

Precocious  twins,  23,  101,  104,  126, 

135,  268. 
Predestined  mates,  16,  122,  168. 
Primal  beings,  34,  412. 
Propitiation.  424. 
Provoker,  229. 
Puberty  ceremony,  173. 
Purging,  391. 

Pursued  by  enemies.  113,  125,  190, 

280,  295,  299. 
Pursuer  delayed,   113,   130,  264, 

296,  299,  345. 
Pygmies,  (Djogeon),  18,  32,  332. 

Quapaw,  422. 

Quilt  of  eyes,  31,  102,  106. 

Rabbit,  runs  in  circle,  316  ;  a  gam- 
bler, 317. 

Raccoon  and  Crabs.  319. 

Raccoon  outwits  Wolf.  312. 

Race  with  monster,  140,  351. 

Radin,  Paul,  459. 

Red  Jacket,  365. 

Reducible  dog,  32,  124,  294. 

Reducible  sister,  28,  234,  249,  345. 

Reduction  by  magic,  255,  263. 

Refugees,  285. 

Refuge  in  hollow  log,  281. 

Regeneration,  31,  75,  87,  429. 

Reichard,  Gladys,  459. 

Rescued  girls,  232-233,  249. 

Restoration  from  enchantment, 
107,  115,  169,  201,  251-252,  258, 
261,  276-277,  288,  348. 


Retaliation,  242-243,  259,  261. 
Ritual,  449  ff. 
Rival  twins,  34,  69,  70. 
Root,  magic,  175,  258. 
Running  moccasins,  29,  176,  264, 
345. 

Saliva  gives  power,  30,  81,  114; 
heals,  213;  257,  334-335,  338. 

Salt,  used  as  charm,  236. 

Scalding  fluid  missle,  109,  113. 

Scalping,  280,  342,  357,  387. 

Scolding  wife,  208  ff. 

Search  for  relatives,  135,  159,  201. 

Seeds  from  heaven,  61. 

Seneca  folk-tales,  basic  beliefs,  3  ; 
legendary  origin,  97. 

Seneca  Indians,  story-telling  cus- 
toms, xxiii  ;  basic  beliefs,  3, 
condition  of,  45-46,  story  telling 
customs,  50 ;  beliefs,  365. 

Serpent  progeny,  222. 

Seven-headed  monster,  230,  232. 

Severance,  Frank  H.,  dedication 
to,  v ;  mentioned,  xi. 

Sharp  bone  (witch  weapon),  370, 
377. 

Shell  wampum,  404. 

Shooting  practice,  160. 

Singing  women,  102. 

Sinking  basket,  230. 

Sister,  enchanted,  249,  275. 

Sisters  are  witches,  131,  259. 

Six  Nations,  340. 

Skeletons   restored.    27,    29,  107, 

158,  204,  252,  258,  276. 
Skinner,  Alanson,  24.  459. 
Skin  man  (see  flayed  skin). 
Skull,  talking,  32,  242,  270. 
Skunniwundi.  334,  337. 
Sky  basket,  86. 
Sky  Holder,  8. 
Sky  Journey,  27.  74,  87. 
Sky  woman,  9,  33,  60,  63. 
Sky  World.  33,  59,  74,  411. 
Slippery  hillside.  156,  267,  287. 
Smeared  hair,  156. 
Snake  grows  fast,  33. 
Snowshoes,  199. 

Snowsnake  game,  38  ;  drawing  of, 

39. 

Society,  400,  445. 

Sogogo  (Bushy  Head),  228. 

Song  of  magic,  130,  186,  236,  245, 

247,  254,  271,  390.  455. 
Son-in-law  put  to  tests,  23. 
Son  testing,  34,  65,  414. 
Sorcerer's  line,  263. 
Sorcerer's  island,  26,  270. 
Soul  path,  69. 
Souls  of  creatures,  4. 
Soup  spoiling.  110,  229-230. 
South  Wind,  90. 
Speaking  first.  75.  229. 
Speaking  trees.  399. 
Speck,  Frank  G.,  449,  f.n.,  442,  f.n. 
Spider,  173,  346. 
Spring  god,  15,  89,  90. 
Spirit  in  tree,  341. 
Squirrel,  322. 

Staples,  George  Kelley,  xi,  456. 


INDEX 


465 


Stars,  origin  of,  69. 
State  Museum   of   New    fork,  x, 
440. 

Step-father,  25,  147. 
Stolen  eves,  31,  102. 
Stone  coats,  335,  337  ;  country  of, 
394 

Stone  giants,   18,   334,   337,  340; 

battle  of,  341;  394,  395;  425. 
Stone  throwers,  331. 
Storage  platforms,  44. 
Story  teller,  xxv,  49-50. 
Story-telling  customs,  xxiii.  HO. 
Stream  crossing,  334,  338. 
Stored  property.  200.  220.  S03. 
Storm  wind,  13,  15,  32. 
Story  bag,  50,  99. 
Strawberry  patch    (magic).  201. 
Sudden  friend.  33,  134.  208,  257, 

342. 

Sun  god.  10,  76. 

Sustenance,  spirits  of,  15. 

Sweat  lodge.  31.  106,  173.  196.  221, 

233.  276. 
Sweeping.  230,  231. 
Swift  Runner,  350. 
Sympathetic  magic,  374,  375. 

Taboo  violated.  28,  109,  254.  269 
Talking  flute.  29. 
Talking  moccasins.  31. 
Talking  skull.  32,  242.  270. 
Tawiskaro  (Evil  Mind),  9;  names 
of.  10. 

Tempter.  176,  177,  269,  294,  344. 
'Text,  interlinear,  xix. 
Thaw,  15. 

Thrown  away  boy.  24. 

Thunder  spirit,  picture  of,  7  ;  8, 
218  ;  wars  on  horned  serpent. 
222,  225  ;  wars  with  giants, 
341  ;  426  ;  house  of,  428. 

Thunder  wars  upon  horned  ser- 
pent, 26,  219,  225-227,  42S. 

Tide  spirit,  16. 

Toad  rescues  hero.  266. 

Tobacco  incense,  73,  demanded. 
98,  186,  226,  242,  271,  332,  347  ; 
offered,  386,  401,  424,  448. 

Toboggan,  250. 

Tonawanda,  366,  370. 

Totem,  208. 

Totemic  carving,  42. 

Trail  lodge,  278. 

Tripping  on  door-sill.  243. 

Transformation,  3,  23,  105,  244, 
266,  295,  347,  352,  366.  37.S. 

Tucker,  George  L.,  xi,  456. 

Turkey  (a  character),  173,  200. 

Turtle  outwits  beaver.  309. 

Turtle,  primal.  33,  62,  414,  418. 

Turtle  shell  rattles.  435. 

Turtle's  war  party.  26.  305. 

Tusks.  356,  361. 

Twins,  63,  101,  126,  135,  268,  349, 
412. 


i   Two  Feathers,  184. 

Uncle  and  nephew,  2">,  173,  184, 

241,  253,  284. 
!  Underbed  sanctuary.  28,  174,  202, 

248,  249. 
Underground  lodge,  169,  178. 
Underground  playing.  27,  104. 
Underwater  cave,  221. 
Ihiseen  spirits,  3. 
Unstoppable  song,  216. 
Unwelcome  guest,  235. 
Usurper  (see  imposter),  228. 

Vampire  corpse,  27,  278,  298,  381. 
Vulnerable    spot,    127,    139,  348, 
355,  361. 

Walker,  B.  N.  O.,  cited.  420,  f.n. 

Walking  into  ground.  29.  104. 

Walum  Olam,  438. 

Wampum,  116,  131,  202,  404.  424. 

Wampum  belt,  358. 

Wampum  deer,  188. 

Wampum  eagle.  32,  194,  198. 

Wampum  spitting.  175,  181,  187. 

Wampum  tears.  30,  114. 

War  club,  magical.  167. 

War  god.  12. 

War  party.  278,  342,  355. 

Washington,  George,  45. 

Waterman,  T.  T.,  459. 

Water  swallowing.  28,  125. 

Wenroe,  45. 

Whirlwind,  6. 

White  beaver.  17. 

White  otter,  magical,  266. 

White  pebble.  32,  125,  189,  265. 

Wife  hunt,  174. 

Wife  rescues  husband.  237. 

Will-o'-wisp,  16. 

Window  pecker.  378. 

Winged  light.  392. 

Witch  doctor.  366,  373,  381. 

Witches,  131,  157,  158,  259,  344, 
365  ;  overcoming,  370  ;  killed, 
370,  372  ;  transformation,  378. 
380. 

Witch  mother-in-laic  189,  198, 
259  294. 

Wizardry,!^,  201,  246,  365. 

Wizards,  5,  168,  183.  201,  245, 
253,  259,  260,  282,  300,  365. 

Wolf.  305,  312,  325.  387. 

Woodchuck,  322. 

Woodchuck  Leggings.  184. 

World  Tree.  33,  416,  431,  434. 

Wright,  Laura  M.,  records  inter- 
view, 421. 

Wyandots,  417  ;  myth  of  creation, 


Youngest   sister  chosen,    86,  181, 
268. 

Zephyr,  13. 


